Biodiversity: My hotel in actionA guide to sustainable use of biological resources in the Caribbean

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CARIBBEAN EDITION

IUCN

IUCN, International Union for Conservation of Nature, helps the world find pragmatic solutions to our most pressing environment and development challenges.

IUCN works on biodiversity, climate change, energy, human livelihoods and greening the world economy by supporting scientific research, managing field projects all over the world, and bringing governments, NGOs, the UN and companies together to develop policy, laws and best practice.

IUCN is the world’s oldest and largest global environmental organization, with more than 1,200 government and NGO members and almost 11,000 volunteer experts in some 160 countries. IUCN’s work is supported by over 1,000 staff in 45 offices and hundreds of partners in public, NGO and private sectors around the world.

www.iucn.org

TRAFFIC

TRAFFIC was established in 1976, with a mission of working to ensure that trade in wild plants and animals is not a threat to the conservation of nature. TRAFFIC’s vision is of a world in which trade in wild plants and animals is managed at sustainable levels without damaging the integrity of ecological systems and in such a manner that it makes a significant contribution to human needs, supports local and national economies and helps to motivate commitments to the conservation of wild species and their habitats. A global, research-driven and action-oriented network, TRAFFIC is governed by a steering committee composed of members of the network’s partner organisations, WWF and IUCN, and also works in close cooperation with the Secretariat of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). TRAFFIC (http://www.traffic.org) is composed of around 100 staff based in nearly 30 countries, worldwide.

CARIBBEAN ALLIANCE FOR SUSTAINABLE TOURISM

The Caribbean Alliance for Sustainable Tourism (CAST) was established by members of the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association (CHTA) in 1997 to promote responsible environmental and social management of natural and heritage resources within the hotel and tourism sector. As a key CHTA subsidiary, it is also the only not-for-profit in the region that focuses on the responsible development of the Caribbean tourism private sector. Through its programs and services, CAST provides guidance and expertise in awareness raising programs, environmental management systems and best practices in accordance with the goals of Agenda 21.

CAST’s Mission is to enhance the practices of the region’s hotel and tourism operators by providing high quality education and training related to sustainable tourism; promote the industry’s efforts and successes to the traveling public and other stakeholders; and serve as a vital link to all stakeholders with sustainable tourism interests in the Caribbean region.

THE CARIBBEAN TOURISM ORGANIZATION

The Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO), with headquarters in Barbados and marketing operations in New York, London and Toronto, is the Caribbean’s tourism development agency and comprises membership of over 30 member governments and a myriad of private sector entities.

The CTO’s mission is to provide to and through its members, the services and information needed for the development of sustainable tourism for the economic and social benefit of the Caribbean people. The organization provides specialized support and technical assistance to member countries in the areas of marketing, human resource development, research and statistics, information technology and sustainable tourism development. The CTO disseminates information on behalf of its member governments to consumers and the travel trade.

The CTO’s New York office is located at 80 Broad St., Suite 3200, New York, NY 10004, USA: Tel: (212) 635-9530; Fax: (212) 635-9511; E-mail: ctoNY@caribtourism.com; CTO’s London office is located at The Quadrant, Richmond, Surrey TW9 1BP, England. Tel: 011 44 208 948 0057; Fax: 011 44 208 948 0067; E-mail: ctolondon@caribtourism.com; CTO Headquarters is located at One Financial Place, Collymore Rock, St, Michael, Barbados; Tel: (246) 427-5242; Fax: (246) 429-3065; E-mail: ctobar@caribsurf.com. For more information, please visit www.caribbeantravel.com or www.onecaribbean.org. Get the latest CTO updates on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/ctotourism. Connect with CTO on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/CaribbeanTourismOrganization.

Biodiversity: My hotel in actionA guide to sustainable use of biological resources in the Caribbean

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The designation of geographical entities in this book, and the presentation of the material, do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of IUCN or TRAFFIC concerning the legal status of any country, territory, or area, or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries.

The views expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect those of IUCN, TRAFFIC and Accor.

This publication has been made possible in part by the generous funding from the French Ministry for Sustainable Development, the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the French Overseas Territories Ministry, and Accor.

Published by: IUCN, Gland, Switzerland, in collaboration with TRAFFIC and Accor

Copyright: © 2012 International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources Reproduction of this publication for educational or other non-commercial purposes is authorized without prior written permission from the copyright holder provided the source is fully acknowledged.

Reproduction of this publication for resale or other commercial purposes is prohibited without prior written permission of the copyright holder.

Citation: Biodiversity: My hotel in action A guide to sustainable use of biological resources in the Caribbean Gland, Switzerland: IUCN and TRAFFIC. 148pp.

ISBN: 978-2-8317-1453-0

Cover design by: Charlescannon

Layout by: Charlescannon, Thad Mermer

Produced by: IUCN Business and Biodiversity Programme

Printed by: Polygravia SA

Available from: IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) Publications Services Rue Mauverney 28 1196 Gland Switzerland Tel +41 22 999 0000 Fax +41 22 999 0020 books@iucn.org www.iucn.org/publications

A catalogue of IUCN publications is also available.

This guide is printed on FSC paper made from wood fibre from well-managed forests certified in accordance with the rules of the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC).

Cover photos (each row from left to right, top to bottom)© Cat HOLLOWAY / WWF-Canon © Claudio CONTRERAS / WWF-Canon © Chris Martin BAHR / WWF-Canon © Adrian REUTER © Jürgen Freund / WWF-Canon © Mauri RAUTKARI / WWF-Canon © Andrew VOVIDES © Anthony B. RATH / WWF-Canon © Claudio CONTRERAS / WWF-Canon

Back cover photos (each row from left to right, top to bottom) © Darren JEW / WWF-Canon © Anthony B. RATH / WWF-Canon © Andrew VOVIDES IUCN Photo Library © IUCN / Ger BERGKAMP © Michael ROGGO / WWF-Canon © Chris Martin BAHR / WWF-Canon © Martin HARVEY / WWF-Canon © Renato SEHN, Director, Ilha do Papagaio© Juan PRATGINESTOS / WWF-Canon

“Every choice you make as a hotelier makes a

difference to nature, whether it’s about the food

you serve in your restaurant, the souvenirs you sell

in your shop or the local tour advice you give to

your guests. Change however can be challenging.

We, at IUCN, hope that by providing you with

this guide, we can help make the challenge of

reaching sustainable hotel practice easier.”

Julia Marton-Lefèvre, Director General, IUCN

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based on the premise that sustainable tourism

development is the optimal use of natural,

cultural, social and financial resources for national

development on an equitable and self-sustaining

basis, to provide a unique visitor experience and

an improved quality of life through partnerships

among government, the private sector and

communities.

Therefore, we promote and encourage the

sustainable use of our resources and we

emphasize that biodiversity and conservation

must be important consideration in every stage

of development of our hotels and resorts. This

publication helps strengthen our message.”M. Hugh RileySecretary General and CEO, Caribbean Tourism Organization

“The Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO) is

pleased to endorse this very important guide to

sustainable use of biological resources in the

Caribbean. It’s a valuable and useful resource that

will benefit not just the accommodation sector, but

anyone involved in tourism.

The CTO has had sustainability at its core

from the outset. It is important to note that the

organization’s mission statement is “To provide

to and through its members, the services and

information necessary for the development of

sustainable tourism, for the social and economic

benefit of the People of the Caribbean”. We have

also developed a sustainable tourism strategy

The development of this guide was made

possible thanks to the contributions of many

committed individuals, as well as the generous

financial support of the French Ministry for

Sustainable Development, the French Ministry of

Foreign Affairs, the French Overseas Territories

Ministry and Accor.

A special thanks to:

The team of Experts who drafted the guide:

Richard Tapper, Environment Business & Development Group

Frits Hesselink, HECT Consultancy

Ghislain Dubois and Marie Lootvoet, TEC - Tourisme, Transports, Territoires, Environnement Conseil

Sue Wells, Ed Parnell and Martin Jenkins - TRAFFIC consultants

Paola Mosig, Adrian Reuter and Ulrich Malessa – TRAFFIC North America

A committed Editor:

Amy Sweeting

The project Coordinators:

Giulia Carbone, Business and Biodiversity Programme, IUCN

Patricia Cortijo, Environment Director, Accor Sustainable Development

The patient Reviewers:

Marta Andelman, IUCN Commission on Education and Communication

Ludovic Armand, Ministry for Ecology, Energy, Sustainable Planning and Development (France)

Keerti Averbouch, Ministry for Ecology, Energy, Sustainable Planning and Development (France)

Tim Badman, IUCN Protected Areas Programme

Maria Ana Borges, IUCN Business and Biodiversity Programme

Monica Borobia, Roteiros de Charme

Dena Cator, IUCN Species Programme

Annabelle Cuttelod, IUCN Mediterranean Programme

Saskia de Koning, IUCN Business and Biodiversity Programme

Aymeric Eekman, IUCN Mediterranean Programme

Benoit Herrmann, Project Manager, Accor Sustainable Development

Oliver Hillel, Convention on Biological Diversity

Stephane Hotton, Ibis Agen Centre

David Huberman, IUCN Economics

Acknowledgments

Andrew Hurd, IUCN Marine Programme

Sandrine Porteron, Global Marketing, Ibis

Christophe Quevremont, Accor Group Procurement Department

Mohammad Rafiq, IUCN Business and Biodiversity Programme

Pedro Rosabal, IUCN Protected Areas Programme

Jerome Sanchez, Etap Hotel Aubervilliers

Juergen E. Seidel, Six Senses Resorts & Spas

Deidre Shurland, Caribbean Alliance for Sustainable Tourism (CAST)

François Simard, IUCN Mediterranean Programme

Anna Spencely, Species Survival Commission

Jamie Sweeting, Royal Caribbean Cruises, Ltd.

Richard Thomas, TRAFFIC

Crawford Allan, TRAFFIC

Claudia Saborit, TRAFFIC consultant

Judith Voermans, IUCN Netherlands Committee

Paul Warmeant, Integrated Development Solutions

The Testimonials:

Eduardo Bagnoli, Owner, Manary Praia Hotel

Daniel Cunin, Manager, Novotel Limoges le Lac

Elisabeth Dissauer, Manager of Mercure Wien City & Accor Austria Sustainable Development Manager

Laurent Guerre-Genton, Manager, Ibis Blois Vallée Maillard

Jean Hentz, Sustainable Development Coordinator, Etap/F1

Yves Lecret, Director of Marketing Operational, Novotel France

Nathanaël Mathieu, Sustainable Development Project Manager, Accor

Lucia Padovan, Support Manager, Franchised Hotels Accor Italy

Eric Robert, Director of Operational Marketing and Quality, Sofitel Luxury Hotels - Southern Europe, North Africa

Hélène Roques, Sustainable Development Director, Accor

Juergen E. Seidel, Group Director of Property Maintenance, Engineering & Innovation, Six Senses Resorts & Spas

Renato Sehn, Owner, Pousada Ilha do Papagaio (Papagaio Island Inn)

Helenio and Ildiko Waddington, Owners, Hotel Rosa dos Ventos

The Members of ACCOR’s Biodiversity Group, who attended the initial workshop in January 2008 that helped structure the guide:

Gilles Attias, Manager, Sofitel Athens Airport

Chris Broodryk, Regional Maintenance Manager, Accor Asia-Pacific

Laurent Delporte, Business & City Hotels Brand Manager, Global Marketing Sofitel

Pascal Fillon, Sustainable Development Project Manager, Global Marketing Accor

Dan Gilligan, Vice-President of Energy and Environmental Services, Accor North America

Jean Hentz, Sustainable Development Coordinator, Etap/F1

Stephane Hotton, Manager, Ibis Agen Centre

Sophie Janet, Junior Product Manager, Global Marketing Etap/F1

Monika Krzerszowiec, Manager Mercure Wroclaw

Jean Baptiste Le Blan, Product Manager, Global Marketing Novotel

Shanmugam Nanthakumar, Projects & Maintenance Manager, Accor Asia

Domminique Ottiger, Product Manager, Global Marketing Ibis

Johanne Payen, Corporate Social Responsibility Manager, Accor Hospitality Middle East, Africa & Indian Ocean

Christophe Quevremont, Junior Product Manager, Accor Group Procurement

Claude Ronda, Design Manager, Accor Group Marketing

Alice Sadois, Food Quality Manager, Accor Group Procurement

Francisco Sobrinho, Operations Director, Ibis Brasil

Jean-Marc Schnell, Operations Director, Accor Western Africa

Jérôme Sanchez, Manager, Etap Hotel Aubervilliers

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How to use this guide 8

Part I: Biodiversity and hotels 10

About biodiversity What does biodiversity do for us? 10 How do we harm biodiversity? 11 And what we can do to conserve it? 15

About the Caribbean 16

Towards a “green” hotel How do hotels impact on biodiversity? 19

Part II: Taking action in the hotel 23

Principles for taking biodiversity action in a hotel 24

Taking action in hotel restaurants 28

Taking action in guest rooms and public spaces Wood 36 Amenities and spa products 38 Ornamental plants and animals 40

Taking action in hotel souvenir shops 42

Taking action in hotel grounds and gardens 46

Taking action in the destination Supporting local biodiversity conservation efforts 49

Activities and excursions offered at the tour desk 50

Part III: TRAFFIC Recommends 59 Guidelines for the sustainable use of biological resources

1. Tuna 64

2. Salmon 68

3. Molluscs 72

4. Crustaceans 82

5. Other fish 92

6. Caviar 98

7. Woods for furniture and construction 100

8. Medicinal and aromatic plants for amenities and spa products 104

9. Live animals 108

10. Wildlife-based souvenirs 112

11. Caribbean Marine Turtles 118

12. Horticultural plants 120

13. Activities and excursions 126

Appendices

Appendix 1: Communicating with a hotel’s internal 130 and external stakeholders

Appendix 2: Working with partners in the destination 134

Appendix 3: Caribbean CITES Management Authorities 137

Appendix 4: Promoting sustainable purchases of wildlife products 146

Contents

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Boxes and Figures

Box 1: The importance of genetic diversity among species 11

Box 2: Biodiversity under threat 12

Box 3: Climate change, biodiversity and tourism 13

Box 4: Milestones in international action to protect 14 the environment and biodiversity

Box 5: The Caribbean is home to a wide variety 16

of species

Box 6: Alien invasive species affect the Carribean native 17 wildlife

Box 7: Guidance for siting, design and construction 19 stages of new hotels

Box 8: What are the business benefits of responsible 20 biodiversity practices for hotels?

Box 9: Threatened species 26

Box 10: Seafood and agricultural certification schemes 33

Box 11: Saving the cork oak landscapes by serving 35 wine with cork stoppers

Box 12: Forest-related certification systems 37

Box 13: Design of a hotel procurement policy 38

Box 14: Marine Aquarium Council certification 41

Box 15: Mineral and fossil souvenirs 43

Box 16: Sustainable tourism guidelines 52

Box 17: Areas of high biodiversity value 53

Fig. 1: Impacts on biodiversity throughout the 18 life cycle of a hotel

Fig. 2: Biodiversity resources in a hotel 22

Testimonials

Protection of biodiversity: an integrated approach 27

Eating “organic” at Sofitel 30

Rediscovering local food products at Mercure 31

Protecting an ecosystem service: natural water supply 32

Community-cultivated seafood for conservation 34

Sustainable food 35

More natural cosmetics 39

A souvenir that supports biodiversity conservation 44

Discouraging illegal souvenirs 45

Partnerships for natural gardens 47

Birds, the new guests at Etap Hotels 52

Six Senses commits to protecting sharks 54

Accor Austria and its bat hotels 55

The beach, a place for raising staff awareness 55

Accor commits to the ‘Plant for the Planet’ programme 56

8

Biodiversity plays an important role in the day-to-day life of a

hotel: from the food in the restaurant and wood in furniture and

fittings, to the amenities in the spa, the products of biodiversity

are everywhere inside hotels. Outside, plants and animals

make a hotel’s public areas and gardens attractive for guests,

while beyond the hotel gate, national parks, green spaces,

coasts and natural habitats provide guests with opportunities

for recreation and enjoyment.

The purpose of this guide is to help owners and managers

of small and large hotels, located in all areas, from cities to

mountain to coastal areas, to conserve nature. In particular, it

is designed to guide the sustainable use of biological resources

in the day-to-day operations of hotels.

This guide is meant to complement the many tools that are

already available to help you reduce environmental impacts in

your hotel, by using appropriate siting, design and construction

practices, and by improving management of energy and water

consumption, and disposal of wastewater and solid wastes.

To get a quick overview of what biodiversity is, why it

is important and how hotels interact with it, read Part I,

Biodiversity and Hotels.

To find out about specific actions that your hotel can take

to protect biodiversity and be biodiversity-friendly, go to the

“Taking action …” sections in Part II. Each section focuses on

a different area of hotel operations, including:

• Restaurants;

• Guestroomsandpublicareas;

• Hotelsouvenirshops;

• Hotelgroundsandgardens;and

• Thewiderdestinationbeyondthehotel’sgates,including

recreation opportunities for your guests.

Each section in Part II gives practical suggestions for what

hotels can do to help conserve biodiversity, testimonials

of what some hotels around the world are already doing,

and a summary of the local and global biodiversity issues

surrounding each topic. You may want to use these sections

with managers and senior staff in each of the operational areas.

If you need more information to help you implement actions

suggested in the “Taking action …” sections, go to Part III,

where 13 technical factsheets developed by TRAFFIC, the

wildlife trade monitoring network, provide detailed information

on procuring and using a variety of biological resources, from

seafood to wood to souvenirs.

For ideas on how you can communicate your hotel’s

biodiversity actions to staff, guests and other stakeholders,

go to Appendix 1. And for guidance on ways to set up

partnerships in a destination, go to Appendix 2.

When using this guide, remember that it is important to involve

all relevant managers and staff in putting the actions into practice.

The same action may need to be implemented in different

ways according to the management structure of your hotel

(and in particular how management roles and responsibilities

are assigned). Take procurement for example: in small hotels,

the hotel manager might handle all procurement, while in larger

hotels, senior staff may take on this role in each operational

area, and hotel groups may organize procurement through a

central procurement department. So it is important to make sure

that the right people within your hotel or group are involved.

How to use this guide

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Part I: Biodiversity and hotels

Part II: Taking action in the hotel

Part III: TRAFFIC Recommends – Factsheets on the sustainable use of biological resources

About biodiversity

• What does biodiversity do for us?

• How do we harm biodiversity?

• And what can we do to

conserve it?

• About the Caribbean

Towards a “green” hotel

• How do hotels impact

on biodiversity?

Principles for biodiversity actions

Taking action in the destination

• Supporting local biodiversity

conservation efforts

• Activities and excursions offered

at the tour desk

13. Activities and excursions

Taking action in hotel restaurants 1. Tuna

2. Salmon

3. Molluscs

4. Crustaceans

5. Other fish

6. Caviar

Taking action in guest rooms

and public areas

• Wood

• Amenities and spa products

• Ornamental plants and animals

7. Woods for furniture

and construction

8. Medicinal and aromatic plants

for amenities and spa products

9. Live animals

Taking action in hotel

souvenir shops10. Wildlife-based souvenirs

11. Caribbean Marine turtles

Taking action in hotel grounds

and gardens

12. Horticultural plants

10

Biodiversity is everywhere. Look around and you’ll see plenty

of different types of organisms – insects, plants, birds and

other animals. Go for a walk and you’ll notice different types of

habitats and ecosystems – woods, grasslands, ponds, rivers

and coasts – each with different species of animals and plants.

Unless you use a microscope, you won’t see microorganisms,

but they too are part of the natural world.

This is biodiversity – our planet’s diversity of living organisms

and their natural homes. Combining the Greek word for life,

bios, with diversity, the term biodiversity refers simply to the

vast variety of life on Earth. This diversity is expressed in many

ways, from the number of species of living organisms, to the

variations between individuals of those species, to the variety

of ways in which these species group together to form different

habitats and ecosystems. An ecosystem is the combination of

living organisms and the physical environment in which they

live. Each main type of ecosystem – from forests, mountains,

deserts and grasslands, to freshwater, coastal and marine

ecosystems – can be subdivided into more specific ecosystem

categories according to their physical features and the types of

organisms that inhabit them.

One of the features of life on earth is that species depend on

each other. For example, predators like the Caribbean reef shark

need prey like fish to feed on. The fish, in turn, get their food by

eating a variety of species found in the coral reef such as snails,

polyps, other invertebrates and algae. Draw the links between

predators and prey, between prey species and their food plants,

and you start to see how different species interact with each

other. Change one part of this web, the sharks, fish or coral

reefs, and the effects will be felt throughout the links between the

species. The interdependency of species within an ecosystem

makes biodiversity an important indicator of the health of the

living world: when biodiversity starts to decline, it is often a sign

that the ecosystem is in trouble, and so is human society.

What does biodiversity do for us?

Biodiversity is essential for human life. It provides human

society with many important benefits and services: for

Part I: Biodiversity and Hotels

About biodiversity

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instance, insects pollinate our crops, birds disperse seeds,

and fungi, worms and micro-organisms produce nutrients and

fertile soils. Interactions between organisms and the physical

environment influence our climate, water supplies and air quality,

and help protect us from extreme weather, including mitigation

of natural disasters. These benefits are collectively known

as ecosystem services. The 2005 Millennium Ecosystem

Assessment (http://www.millenniumassessment.org) describes

four basic types of ecosystem services:

• Provisioning services: These are the tangible products that

biodiversity provides, including food, fresh water, fuel, and

materials, such as wood for furniture and construction and

fibre for clothing, as well as genetic resources for medicines

and crop security (see Box 1);

• Regulating services: These are the services that keep major

ecological processes in balance, such as climate regulation,

flood control, disease regulation and water purification;

• Culturalservices: These are the non-material values that

humans derive from nature, including aesthetic, spiritual,

educational and recreational benefits; and

• Supportingservices: These are the services that are

necessary for the production of all other ecosystem

services, including biomass production, soil formation,

nutrient cycling and provision of habitats.

All of these services are vital for our well-being, and it is

just not possible to replace them with technology if they are

damaged. The only option that will conserve these benefits

is for us to reduce our adverse impacts on the natural world,

so that biodiversity and natural resources have a chance to

recover. Increasingly, ecosystems are being restored so that

they can provide key services, in preference to man-made

alternatives. For example, restoration of coastal marshes

and vegetation is used as an alternative to man-made sea

defences in some areas, while protection of ecosystems in

watersheds is now an important part of the management of

freshwater supplies. In agriculture, sustainable farming systems

are replacing artificial fertilisers and pesticides with services

provided by natural ecosystems.

How do we harm biodiversity?

Although biodiversity provides our society with vital products

and services, human activities are causing tremendous

damage to ecosystems and species around the world.

Everything we consume, all we throw away, has an impact on

biodiversity. World population has risen dramatically over the

past few decades, and is still rising. Part of this population

is also becoming more affluent and more mobile, leading to

rising consumption and a rapid increase in human impacts on

the environment. In July 2008, the Executive Director of the

Convention on Biological Diversity noted that current rates of

biodiversity loss are up to an estimated 100 times the natural

extinction rate, while 60 per cent of ecosystem services are

being degraded as a result of human activity. What remains of

the natural world is less healthy and more stressed, and natural

systems are out of balance (see Box 2).

There are a number of reasons for the overall loss of

biodiversity that we now face, including:

• Climatechange:Human-induced climate change is altering

temperature, rainfall patterns, water availability, drought

and similar factors that affect the distribution of plant and

animal species throughout the world. According to the

Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (http://www.

ipcc.ch), 20 to 30 percent of plant and animal species

Box 1: The importance of genetic

diversity among species

Just two different rice species provide food for

billions of people around the world. Yet, there

are 100,000 known varieties of just one of these

species. Do we need them all? Would it not make

sense to concentrate on the cultivation of just a few

varieties? In the 1970s, a virus was destroying rice

crops from India to Southeast Asia. The outbreak

threatened massive starvation and financial ruin,

until scientists discovered one among the thousands

of rice varieties that was resistant to the virus.

This experience demonstrates the importance of

protecting natural species diversity for our future

food security.

Source:Biodiversity, the Basis of our Life, Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (Germany)

http://www.bmu.de/files/pdfs/allgemein/application/pdf/faltblatt_biovielfalt_en.pdf

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Box 2: Biodiversity under threat

Threatened species

According to the IUCN Red List of Threatened SpeciesTM in 2010 (Version 2010.4), a total of 18,351 species out of 55,926 assessed species (i.e. 33 per cent) are known to be threatened with extinction, meaning that they are listed as either Critically Endangered, Endangered or Vulnerable.

These include:

• Mammals: 1,131 species

(21 percent of all known mammals);

• Birds: 1,240 species

(12 percent of all known birds);

• Fish: 1,851 species

(21 percent of all assessed (i.e. 8,848 species) fish);

• Reptiles: 594 species

(21 percent of all assessed (i.e. 2,806 species)

reptiles);

• Amphibians: 1,898 species

(30 percent of all assessed (i.e. 6,296 species)

amphibians); and

• Plants: 8,724 species

(68 percent of all assessed (i.e. 12,914 species)

plants). Source:IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, available at: http://www.iucnredlist.org

(http://www.iucnredlist.org/documents/summarystatistics/2010_4RL_Stats_Table_1.pdf)

Corals under threat

The first comprehensive global assessment of reef-

building corals revealed in 2008 that one third of the

species are threatened with extinction. The study was

conducted by leading coral experts and the Global

Marine Species Assessment (GMSA) – a joint initiative of

IUCN and Conservation International (CI). Researchers

identified the main threats to corals as climate change,

destructive fishing, declining water quality from pollution

and degradation of coastal habitats.

Built over millions of years, coral reefs are home to more

than 25 percent of marine species, making them the

most biologically diverse of marine ecosystems. Coral

reefs harbor fish and other marine resources important

for coastal communities.Source:http://cms.iucn.org/about/work/programmes/species/index.cfm?uNewsID=1279

Extinction threat for Primates

The first comprehensive review of the world’s 634

kinds of primates in five years has found that almost

50 percent of species are in danger of going extinct,

according to the 2010 IUCN Red List of Threatened

Species™. In Asia, more than 70 percent of primates

are classified as threatened, meaning they could

disappear forever in the near future.

“Tropical forest destruction has always been the main

cause, but now it appears that hunting is just as serious

a threat in some areas” says Russell A. Mittermeier,

Chair of IUCN’s Primate Specialist Group. As our

closest relatives, apes, monkeys and other primates are

important to the health of surrounding ecosystems. The

forests they live in provide vital resources for humans and

also absorb carbon dioxide that causes climate change.

Source:http://cms.iucn.org/about/work/programmes/species/index.cfm?uNewsID=1391

Forest loss

Forests have effectively disappeared in 25 countries, and another 29 countries have lost more than 90

percent of their forest cover. For example:

• Illegal logging has destroyed more than half of

Indonesia’s forests, and is driving species such

as the Sumatran rhino, tiger and orang-utan

toward extinction.

• Unsustainable logging threatens mahogany

and forest ecosystems in Latin America and the

Caribbean. The majority of mahogany species have

been designated as threatened on the IUCN Red

List. Mahogany is often used for fine furniture and

other products. Sources:Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, Chapter 21, Forest and Woodland Systems, in report on Ecosystems and Human Well-being: Current State and Trends

http://www.millenniumassessment.org/,

Nellemann, C., Miles, L., Kaltenborn, B. P., Virue, M., and Alhenius, H. (Editors), 2007. The last stand of the orangutan – State of emergency: Illegal logging, fire and palm oil in Indonesia’s national parks. United Nations Environment Programme, GRID-Arendal, Norway. http://www.grida.no/_documents/orangutan/full_orangutanreport.pdf

Big Leaf Mahogany, Natural Resources Defense Council http://www.nrdc.org/wildlife/habitat/esa/international03.asp

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assessed would be at risk of extinction if average global

temperatures rise by more than 1.5-2 degrees Celsius. Many

species are already affected by warmer global temperatures:

for example, more frequent droughts are threatening wildlife

in Africa and frequent storms and rising ocean temperatures

are damaging and even killing corals around the Caribbean

and the whole world, while in the Arctic, polar bears are

finding it more difficult to feed as the sea-ice breaks up

earlier each year (see Box 3).

• Habitatconversion: Through land-use changes and

inappropriate occupation, physical modification of rivers

or water withdrawal from rivers, loss of coral reefs, and

damage to sea floors from trawling, about half of the Earth’s

land surface has already been transformed or degraded by

human activity. The costs of decades of habitat conversion

are now becoming all too apparent: for example, where

forests have been cleared for timber and agriculture, or for

infrastructure development, soil erodes faster and rivers

flood more frequently. The loss of critical habitats also

adversely impacts many plant and animal species.

• Invasivespecies: Non-native species introduced

accidentally or deliberately (for example by using exotic

species for gardening) into an ecosystem can cause

major damage to ecosystem functions and populations of

indigenous species through predation or by out-competing

for key resources such as food, water or nesting sites.

One example of a potentially disastrous invasive species is

the cactus moth (Cactoblastis cactorum): native to South

America and introduced into the Caribbean originally as a

biological control for invasive cacti (Opuntia spp.). Its range

expanded to the south of the United States (Florida) and

Mexico (where it has been introduced but not established)

with predictably catastrophic consequences for native cacti,

both in the wild and for crops.

• Overexploitation: The use of species, nutrients, water and

other biological resources faster than they can be replenished

Box 3: Climate change, biodiversity and tourism

Climate is a key resource for tourism, and the tourism

sector is highly sensitive to the effects of climate change

and global warming. Climate change also has major

impacts on biodiversity resources that are important for

tourism, including ecosystems such as coral reefs and

mountains. In Africa, pressures from longer dry periods

and shrinking living spaces are making elephants

highly vulnerable to climate change, and Caribbean

coral reefs could disappear entirely by 2060 due to

changes in ocean temperature and related factors (80%

of the corals in the region have already been affected

according to the World Bank).

Tourism is estimated to contribute some 5 percent

of global emissions of carbon dioxide, one of the

main gases that drives global warming, according

to the Second International Conference on Climate

Change and Tourism organised by UNWTO in 2007.

The conference recognised that the tourism sector

must rapidly respond to climate change if it is to grow

in a sustainable manner, by reducing emissions of

the greenhouse gases that cause global warming

and adapting tourism businesses and destinations

to changing climate conditions. Part of this response

includes improving energy efficiency, which is a major

way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and securing

financial resources to help poor regions and countries

respond to climate change. It also includes striving

to conserve biodiversity and natural ecosystems to

strengthen their resilience to climate change and

to ensure their long-term sustainable use as an

environmental resource base for tourism.

Hotels can make significant contributions to climate

change mitigation by reducing their energy use, increasing

energy efficiency and incorporating biodiversity-friendly

practices in their day-to-day operations.

Sources:Convention on Biological Diversity (2007) “Biodiversity and Climate Change” www.cbd.int/doc/bioday/2007/ibd-2007-booklet-01-en.pdf

Davos Declaration on Climate Change and Tourism: Responding to Global Challenges (2007) Second International Conference on Climate Change and Tourism organised by UNWTO

http://www.unwto.org/climate/current/en/pdf/CC_Broch_DavBal_memb_bg.pdf

The World Bank (2007) “Visualizing Future Climate in Latin America, Results from the application of the Earth Simulator” http://siteresources.worldbank.org)

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Box 4: Milestones in international action to protect the environment and biodiversity

1972: “The Limits to Growth,” published by the Club of Rome, predicts that the Earth’s limits will be reached in

100 years at current rates of population growth, resource depletion and pollution generation. The United

Nations establishes the UN Environment Programme.

1973: The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (commonly known as

CITES) is agreed in Washington, DC, USA. The treaty prevents or restricts trade in animal and plant species

threatened with extinction.

1979: The Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (also known as the CMS or the

Bonn Convention) is agreed in Bonn, Germany.

1987: The World Commission on Environment and Development highlights the need for ‘sustainable development’

to protect the environment and combat poverty and global inequalities.

1992: The Convention on Biological Diversity (generally known as the Biodiversity Convention), and the Framework

Convention on Climate Change are adopted at the UN Conference on Environment and Development

(the ‘Earth Summit’) in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, along with Agenda 21- a detailed plan for worldwide

implementation of sustainable development.

1997: The Kyoto Protocol, which commits industrial countries to reduce their emissions of carbon dioxide, is

agreed in Japan.

2002: The 2010 Biodiversity Target – to achieve by 2010 a significant reduction in the current rate of loss of biological

diversity – is adopted at the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg, South Africa.

2005: The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment

concludes that natural resources are being degraded on a massive scale, damaging the ecological

processes that support life on Earth.

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by natural cycles of reproduction or replenishment can

cause serious declines in species populations and resource

availability. The overuse of water resources in cities and

tourism resorts and for intensive agriculture is threatening

natural wetlands and groundwater levels. Over-fishing has

damaged stocks of fish in most of the world’s major fisheries.

On land, hunting has contributed to a specific number of

species declines or extinctions in the last century, while many

others continue to be threatened by illegal hunting today.

• Pollution: Chemicals, fertilisers and pesticides, air pollutants,

wastewater and solid wastes can all cause damage to

individual species and overall ecosystem functioning.

Pollution from fertilisers and sewage can result in high nutrient

concentrations in water, triggering algal blooms, a sequence

of events which begins with rapid growth of algae that then

die and decay, leaving behind dead zones in rivers, lakes and

coastal waters and adversely impacting fauna and flora. Other

types of pollutants can mimic animal hormones and seriously

affect the health and development of fish and amphibians.

Many of our landfills ooze polluted wastewater and produce

gases that contribute to global warming. Plastic debris and

other wastes are found in most of the world’s oceans, where

species may eat them by mistake or become tangled in them,

with often fatal consequences.

And what can we do to conserve it?

Despite this range of threats, there are solutions. The causes of

biodiversity loss need to be addressed by society as a whole,

and we each have a part to play in meeting this challenge.

While much has been done to protect the environment and

biodiversity in the last decades, there is still much to do

(see Box 4). The key is to keep our uses of biodiversity and

ecosystem services within sustainable limits.

Sustainable use means meeting human needs while not

threatening the health of the environment or the stocks of

resources that will be available for future generations to meet

their needs. In practice, maintaining stocks of natural resources

for the future will require not using them up faster than they can

be replaced by reproduction and natural processes, such as

rainfall, which replenishes freshwater stocks.

In addition to ensuring that consumptive uses of biodiversity

are sustainable, it is also important to carefully manage non-

consumptive uses of the natural world. When biodiversity

is used for recreation, tourism or cultural purposes, it is not

necessarily being used up – the number of trees in a forest is

the same after a group of tourists has visited as it was before

they arrived – but poorly managed human activities can still

have a negative impact, for example by disturbing wildlife,

leaving litter, or even just the effects of trampling as people

walk through the forest. However, such non-consumptive

uses, when well-managed, can be a valuable way to generate

income from biodiversity without the need to harvest it, while

at the same time helping to increase peoples’ understanding

about biodiversity and conservation.

The Caribbean is a region of remarkable beauty that contains

some of the richest terrestrial and marine environments on

Earth. It is home of six of the seven sea turtle species and 14

percent of the coral reefs worldwide. More than one-third of

the plants and land animals in the Caribbean islands are found

nowhere else in the world.

The Caribbean region comprises the Caribbean Sea and its

islands, and surrounding coasts. The Caribbean Sea is the area

of the Atlantic Ocean located east of Central America and north

of South America. It is one of the largest seas in the world

with an area of about 2,763,800 km² (1.063 million square

miles) and includes more than 7,000 islands, islets, reefs, and

cays. It is also home of the second largest barrier reef in the

world and the most important in the Western Hemisphere, the

Mesoamerican Reef. The Reef covers an area of about 460,000

km2 and stretches along the Caribbean coasts of Mexico,

Belize, Guatemala and Honduras where it is home to no fewer

than 65 different kinds of stony coral.

The Caribbean region is regarded as one of the world’s

biodiversity “hotspots” (www.biodiversityhotspots.org). The

flora and fauna of the region are highly diverse, and many of

the species are endemic (exclusively found in) to the region.

It is estimated the Caribbean is home to around 13,000 plant

species, of which about 50% are endemic and, similarly, more

than 40% of its fauna is found only in this part of the world.

Animals and plants found only on islands are especially at risk

from the introduction of species from elsewhere. The alien

invasives may outcompete the native animals and plants for

food or habitat, and may introduce foreign diseases.

As would be expected in a region dominated by its marine

environment, a huge variety of seafood is an essential element

of Caribbean cuisine, including crab, lobster, queen conch

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About the Caribbean

Box 5: The Caribbean is home to a wide variety of

species

The Caribbean is home to many species including:

more than 500 types of fish, some, like the grouper

and snapper, feature on restaurant menus; around

600 bird species, of which about 25% are endemic

(exclusively found in this part of the world), like the

“Hispaniolan Amazon”; about 500 kinds of reptiles,

94% of which are endemic to the region; around 170

species of endemic amphibians; and 90 species of

mammals, including dolphins, manatee, and several

bat species and the migratory humpback whale.

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and other shellfish, as well as various fish, such as barracuda,

grouper, grunt, jack, parrotfish and snapper.

Politically, the Caribbean islands are organized into 27

territories including sovereign states, overseas departments

and dependencies. The Caribbean Sea is one of the largest oil

producing regions in the world and also hosts major fisheries.

Human activity in the area is responsible for a significant

amount of pollution; in 1993, The Pan American Health

Organization estimated that only about 10% of the sewage

from Central American and Caribbean Island nations is properly

treated before being released into the sea.

The Caribbean region supports a large tourist industry. The

Caribbean Tourism Organization estimated that more than 23

million tourists visited the region in 2010 (almost a 5% increase

on the 22.1 million who visited the previous year). The increase

in numbers was mainly attributable to the cruise ship industry,

which is a significant component of the region’s tourism mix.

In 2010, the region’s cruise passenger numbers grew by 6%,

continuing the phenomenal growth experienced over the

previous four decades which saw numbers rising from just

over 1 million cruise visits in 1970 to over 20 million in 2010.

Tourism based on scuba diving and snorkelling on coral reefs

also makes a major contribution to the economies of several

Caribbean islands.

Box 6: Alien invasive species affect the Caribbean

native wildlife

The Small Indian Mongoose (Herpestes

auropunctatus) is an alien invasive species that

was intentionally introduced in 1872 to control rat

numbers in Jamaica’s sugarcane fields. However,

the mongooses also preyed upon the native animals

and have been at least partly responsible for the

known or probable extinction of five endemic

species: a lizard (Celestrus occiduus), a snake

(Alsophis ater), two birds: Jamaican Pauraque

(Siphonorhis americanus) and Jamaica Petrel

(Pterodroma caribbaea), and a rodent (Oryzomys

antillurum). The mongoose was introduced to

other Caribbean islands where it has had a similar

devastating impact on native wildlife.

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The hotel life cycle

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Figure 1: Impacts on biodiversity throughout the life cycle of a hotel©

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How do hotels impact on biodiversity?

Each individual has a different impact on the environment. The

level of this impact will depend on personal choices and may

well be scattered around the globe: food may be imported from

other continents, water piped from rivers and reservoirs some

distance away, and waste may be disposed miles away from

its source. The same is true for a hotel.

A hotel impacts biodiversity at each stage of its life cycle, from

planning through to closure:

Figure 1: The hotel life cycle (see illustration opposite)

1. At the planning stage, the most important issue in

determining the level of impact that a hotel will have relates

to choices about its siting and design. Even the most

sustainably operated hotel will have major impacts if it is

built in a biodiversity-sensitive area (see Box 7). Choices

about the materials that will be used to construct the hotel,

where those materials will come from and the total physical

footprint of the hotel will also influence how significant its

impacts will be in the operational stage.

2. At the construction stage, impact is determined by the

size and location of the area cleared for development and

where construction activities are taking place, the choice

of construction methods, the sources and amount and

type of materials, water and energy used to build the hotel,

the location of temporary camps for construction workers,

inadequate storage facilities for construction materials, the

amount of construction waste that has to be disposed of,

and other types of damage such as surface soil erosion or

compaction caused by construction activities or disruption

of natural water flows and drainage patterns.

3. In the operational stage, a hotel’s impact comes mainly

from the energy, water, food and other resources that are

consumed in running the hotel, by the solid and liquid

wastes it produces, by the way its grounds are managed,

and by the direct impacts of its guests. In addition, regular

renovation and replacement of furniture, appliances and

facilities can cause impacts through purchasing choices and

increased waste generation. Using energy and water more

efficiently, using organic and sustainably produced food,

reducing, treating and disposing of waste appropriately,

making sustainable purchasing decisions and managing

gardens with natural-style plantings can all help a hotel

to reduce its adverse impacts on biodiversity. Similarly, a

hotel’s relationship with host communities not only affects

the sustainable operations of the hotel but also the use of

environmental resources by communities themselves.

4. At the closure stage, a hotel’s impacts come from the

disposal of materials removed from the hotel to refurbish it,

convert it for other uses, or demolish it, and from the work

Towards a “green” hotel

Box 7: Guidance for siting, design and construction

stages of new hotels

This guide focuses on how hotels can contribute

to biodiversity conservation in their day-to-day

operations. However, before operational actions

and decisions are even an issue, critical planning

decisions related to siting, design and construction

will influence the potential for adverse environmental

impacts. Responsible choices on the site and

design of the hotel, the materials from which it is

constructed, and how construction is managed are

vital to protect biodiversity and avoid damage to

species and habitats.

If you are planning to construct a new hotel,

ensure that it is designed according to sustainable

principles, to benefit local communities, preserve

the environment, avoid wastage of resources and

protect biodiversity. Guidance on these issues can

be found in the following sources:

Sustainable Hotel Siting, Design and Construction,

published by the International Business Leaders

Forum’s Tourism Partnership and Conservation

International. http://www.tourismpartnership.org/

pages07/SDCGuidelines.html

International Ecolodge Guidelines, published by

The International Ecotourism Society with the UN

World Tourism Organisation

http://www.ecotourism.org/site/c.orLQKXPCLmF/

b.4832143/k.CF7C/The_International_Ecotourism_

Society__Uniting_Conservation_Communities_and_

Sustainable_Travel.htm

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Box 8: What are the business benefits of responsible

biodiversity practices for hotels?

Implementing good environmental practices in hotel

operations, including using biological resources more

sustainably, can result in positive business benefits as

well as make an important contribution to biodiversity

conservation. Key business benefits include:

• Appealing to engaged consumers: Tourists

are increasingly motivated by sustainability and

contributions to biodiversity conservation, as well as

healthier environments and products.

• Reducing costs: Good biodiversity practices

can actually lower a hotel’s operating costs, by

reducing expenses for resource procurement,

usage and disposal.

• Improving the quality of the destination:

Destinations rich in biodiversity are attractive places,

appeal to quality customers, and offer scope for

biodiversity-based recreational activities.

• Improving employee productivity and sense of

responsibility to the environment: Employees

are often strongly motivated by actions to enhance

biodiversity; such motivation helps to increase

employee productivity and loyalty, and can reduce

staff turnover.

• Securing a hotel’s ‘license to operate’:

Implementing good practices for biodiversity

demonstrates that a hotel cares about the

environment and runs a responsible business, and

can lead to increased support from government,

staff and local communities.

• Attracting investment from socially responsible

investors: Investors want to be sure that their

funds are invested in businesses that have good

environmental records. Sources:Earthwatch Institute (Europe), International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources, World Business Council for Sustainable Development (2002), Business & Biodiversity - The Handbook for Corporate Action, ISBN 2-940240-28-0

Sustainability (2004), The Business Case for Sustainability

Tour Operators’ Initiative for Sustainable Tourism Development (2004), Supply Chain Engagement for Tour Operators – Three Steps Toward Sustainability

involved in these activities. It may be possible to reuse

and recycle some materials, but there may also be some

toxic materials, particularly from older buildings, which will

require careful handling and management. A responsible

hotel operator should also foresee supporting activities of

ecological restoration as required.

Responsible siting and design, the effective management of

energy and water consumption, and the proper disposal of

wastewater and solid waste are important challenges for any

hotel hoping to improve the sustainability of its operations.

These topics are covered in detail in a number of other valuable

publications and resources.

This guide focuses on managing the biodiversity impacts of

a hotel during the operational stage, specifically related to

the use of biological resources. Many biological resources,

from timber to fisheries, are being damaged and depleted

by overuse. Poorly managed tourism and recreation can

damage wildlife through disturbance of animals and plants, or

the collection of species for souvenirs and ornaments for the

wildlife trade. On the other hand, sustainable commercial uses

– such as sustainable tourism – can be good for biodiversity

as they encourage the protection of ecosystems for income

that they generate, provided they do not overexploit natural

resources by using them in excess of their capacity to

regenerate. Furthermore, responsible biodiversity practices can

also bring benefits to hotels (see Box 8).

See the introduction to Part III: TRAFFIC Recommends

for more information about the potential impacts of

overexploitation of biological resources.

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Hotelsouvenirshops:

Avoiding souvenirs produced

from threatened or protected

plant and animal species.

Hotelgroundsandgardens:

Using indigenous plants for landscaping

and minimizing light and noise.

Hotelrestaurants:

Seeking sustainable sources of food

supplies, especially of fish and seafood,

agricultural products and wild game.

Guest rooms and public areas:

Making responsible choices in terms of wood used for expansion

or renovation projects and furniture; medicinal and aromatic

plants for amenities and spa products; and ornamental plants

and animals for public areas.

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Promoting responsible recreation activities and excursions

and supporting local biodiversity conservation efforts.

Figure 2 : Biodiversity resources in a hotel

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Part II: Taking action in the hotel

Biodiversity resources are used in every area of a hotel,

from restaurants to guest rooms to gardens (see Figure 2,

opposite page). In this section of the guide, you will find

recommendations about specific actions you can take in the

different areas of your hotel, including:

• Hotelrestaurants: Seeking sustainable sources of food

supplies, especially of fish and seafood, agricultural

products and wild game.

• Guestroomsandpublicareas: Making responsible choices

in terms of wood used for expansion or renovation projects

and furniture; medicinal and aromatic plants for amenities

and spa products; and ornamental plants and animals for

public areas.

• Hotelsouvenirshops: Avoiding souvenirs produced from

threatened or protected plant and animal species.

• Hotelgroundsandgardens: Using indigenous plants for

landscaping and minimizing light and noise.

• Inthedestination: Promoting responsible recreation

activities and excursions and supporting local biodiversity

conservation efforts.

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Although specific biodiversity conservation practices will vary

depending on the particular resource concerned or area of the

hotel, there are some key principles that apply to all areas:

• Work internally to introduce management practices and

procedures that contribute to biodiversity conservation.

In particular:

- Appoint a senior manager and/or “green team” to take

responsibility for your biodiversity actions;

- Set clear and realistic targets, monitor and report on

progress towards reaching those targets;

- Make it simple for staff, clients, suppliers and

stakeholders to do what is asked of them;

- Provide staff with any necessary training, and ask them

for their ideas and suggestions for biodiversity actions

that the hotel could support;

- Create incentives for staff to support biodiversity

conservation, e.g. through a ‘Green Employee of the

Month’ award;

- Take time to explain the hotel’s actions and motivations

behind those actions to staff, guests, suppliers and

Principles for taking biodiversity action in a hotel

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stakeholders, in order to build their support and raise

their awareness about the value and importance of

conserving biodiversity;

- Integrate the principles and recommendations in

this guide into your hotel’s existing Environmental

Management System; and

- Monitor and evaluate progress in all areas.

• Ensure that, wherever possible, products come from

sustainably harvested and/or sustainably produced

sources and, if relevant, are certified and labelled under

certification schemes that include biodiversity criteria:

- Don’t use any items that are obtained from threatened

species or populations (either on the IUCN Red List of

Threatened Species, http://www.iucnredlist.org, or on the

CITES Appendices, http://www.cites.org), in particular,

those for which consumption and trade is banned under

national or international regulations (see Box 9);

- Don’t use resources that are produced or harvested by

methods that are unregulated or particularly damaging

to biodiversity, some of which, such as dynamite fishing,

may also be illegal; and

- Encourage certification schemes for sustainably

produced food.

• Work with other key players, including:

- Suppliers: Choose suppliers based on their compliance

with your standards, and by specifying requirements for

the goods and services that you obtain from them. Hotels

can support their suppliers to improve in key performance

areas, and integrate environmental and biodiversity

criteria into their selection criteria and contract details.

Work with suppliers and other partners to improve the

sustainability of the resources purchased from them. You

can discuss your policies and actions on biodiversity with

suppliers to determine how you can work together to put

these policies into practice.

- Clients: Hotels can strongly influence the behaviour

and actions of their clients by informing them about the

characteristics of the local biodiversity, what they can do

to protect and enjoy that biodiversity and what actions

the hotel is taking to contribute to conservation. See

Appendix 1 for more information on communicating with

a hotel’s internal and external stakeholders.

- Public authorities and local organisations: Hotels can

influence stakeholders in the destination, including

other businesses, public authorities, conservation

organisations, local communities and managers of

protected areas, by raising awareness about the

contributions of the hotel, the importance of biodiversity

conservation and what each stakeholder can do to

contribute to the protection of biodiversity. Although

the activities of these stakeholders are outside the

hotel’s direct control, local development and planning

decisions, for example about local infrastructure,

attractions, protected areas, etc., can have a significant

impact on the hotel’s business. Local organisations can

provide expertise to help your hotel implement positive

biodiversity actions. In addition, establishing partnerships

with conservation organisations can strengthen the

impact of your hotel’s biodiversity actions and enable you

to leverage leadership for conservation within the travel

sector. See Appendix 2 for more information on working

with partners in the destination.

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Box 9: Threatened species

The IUCN Red List

The IUCN Red List of Threatened SpeciesTM, which

is the world’s most comprehensive and scientifically-

based inventory of the global conservation status of

plant and animal species, evaluates the extinction risk

of thousands of species and subspecies in all regions of

the world. The Red List includes three main categories

of threatened species:

• CriticallyEndangeredSpecies are those that face

an extremely high risk of extinction in the immediate

future, because the population has declined by 80

percent or more over the last 10 years, is confined

to a very small area of habitat, or has fewer than 250

mature individuals. The The Cayman Island’s Blue

Iguana and hawksbill sea turtle are two examples.

• EndangeredSpecies are those facing a very high

risk of extinction in the near future, because the

population has declined by 50 percent or more over

the last 10 years, is confined to an area of less than

5,000 square kilometres of fragmented habitat, or

has fewer than 2,500 mature individuals. Examples

include the loggerhead sea turtle, Imperial Amazon

parrot and Bermuda Palm tree.

• VulnerableSpecies are those that face a high risk of

extinction in the medium-term, because the population

has declined by 30 percent or more over the last

10 years, is confined to an area of less than 20,000

square kilometres of fragmented habitat, or has less

than 10,000 mature individuals. Vulnerable species

include the American crocodile, rhinoceros iguana,

rainbow parrotfish, seahorses, giant clam, great white

shark, whale shark, and the Caribbean manatee.

Many parrots like the Hispaniolan Amazon, are

vulnerable, as are several orchids, cycads and trees,

including the big-leaf mahogany.

Since its establishment in 1963, the number of

species covered by the Red List is increasing all the

time: by 1988, it covered all bird species, and by

1996 all mammals were included. By 2007, 41,415

species worldwide had been assessed. The Red List

is compiled by IUCN’s Species Programme using

data from the Species Survival Commission and other

partners. It produces the Red List in cooperation with

BirdLife International, the Zoological Society of London,

Conservation International and Nature Serve.

While the IUCN Red List is a global assessment, a

number of countries have also developed their own

national and regional red lists for plants and animals.

Source:IUCN, 2001. IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria: Version 3.1. IUCN Species Survival Commission. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, UK. ii + 30 pp

http://www.iucnredlist.org/

CITES

CITES is the common name for the Convention on

International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild

Fauna and Flora, established in 1973, which regulates

international trade in threatened species and products

derived from them. Trade in wildlife and wildlife

products can put severe pressure on some

populations of animals and plants, and, linked with

other factors such as habitat loss, can bring some

species close to extinction.

CITES currently provides protection to more than

30,000 species of animals and plants, whether they

are traded as live specimens or used to make other

products. The treaty includes three levels of protection,

which are listed in three appendices to the treaty:

• AppendixI lists species threatened with extinction.

Trade in specimens of these species is permitted

only in exceptional circumstances.

• AppendixII includes species not necessarily

threatened with extinction, but in which trade must

be controlled in order to avoid utilisation incompatible

with their survival.

• AppendixIII includes species that are protected in

at least one country, which has asked other countries

for assistance in controlling the trade.

Each country adopts its own domestic legislation to

ensure that CITES is implemented at the national level.

There is some variation of the requirements from one

country to another, and it is always necessary to check

national laws, which may have stricter requirements

than those of the convention.

Source:Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, What is CITES?, http://www.cites.org/eng/disc/what.shtml ; http://www.cites.org/eng/app/appendices.shtml

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In 1998, Accor introduced the Hotel

Environment Charter within its hotels.

This original charter was aimed at

hoteliers and included 15 tangible

actions concerning water and

energy use, waste management and

protection of the local environment in

partnership with an association.

In 2005, the Charter was completely

revised by Accor’s Sustainable

Development Department, in close

liaison with hotel managers and

a network of representatives in

destination countries. The new charter

consists of 65 initiatives based on

eight themes, including water, energy,

the ozone layer, and biodiversity, with

a detailed guide offering suggestions

for implementing the actions.

Each theme in the charter is

introduced with an explanation by an

expert of what is at stake. The section

relating to biodiversity was produced

in close partnership with the French

bird protection association (LPO) and

BirdLife International, which helped

in identifying the actions, explaining

them and providing the introduction

on the extinction of species and the

consequences for human society.

The other sections are introduced

by United Nations Environment

Programme experts.

The actions relating to biodiversity

range from reducing – or eliminating

– the use of pesticides and fertilizers

on green areas, to the use of local

plants, the planting of trees and the

promotion of local initiatives. There

are also actions in the other sections

aimed at protecting natural resources,

such as the use of certified organic

foods and paper sourced from FSC-

certified forests.

This new charter, drawn up in

consultation with hotel managers and

reflecting their wishes to go further in

supporting biodiversity conservation,

has been very well received by the

hotels. In 2007, it was deployed in

84 percent of the 3,900 Accor

hotels. Each hotel reports in the

Group reporting tool on the actions

it has taken.

The results achieved so far in terms

of the protection of biodiversity are

encouraging: more than 1,000 hotels

select plants suited to the locality,

more than 800 have reduced their

use of insecticides, and more than

600 use organically produced

products. Each year, the regional

divisions and the Brands define

improvement targets.

Patricia Cortijo

Director,SustainableDevelopment

Accor

www.accor.com

Protection of biodiversity: an integrated approach

© A

ccor

28

WHAT ARE THE LOCAL AND

GLOBAL BIODIVERSITY ISSUES?

Much of our food comes from plants and animals that have

been domesticated for agriculture, and some of it comes from

harvesting of wild stocks through fishing or hunting. The ways

in which food is harvested, cultivated and produced can have

major impacts on biodiversity. Areas of intensive agriculture

support significantly less habitat and biodiversity than the

ecosystems they replace, while for foods collected from the

wild, overharvesting threatens wild populations and the natural

habitats where they are found. The major biodiversity issues for

hotel restaurants are linked to the production and harvesting of

fish and other types of seafood, the hunting of wild game, and

the farming of fruit and vegetables, meat and fish.

Fish and other types of seafood

The unsustainable harvesting of fish and seafood from the

world’s oceans, rivers and lakes is leading to a decline of

global marine and freshwater biodiversity. Overfishing is

depleting fish stocks, while intensive and destructive fishing

methods are damaging marine ecosystems and biodiversity.

For example, tuna fishing using purse-seine nets risks catching

certain dolphin species that are usually present among shoals

of yellow-fin tuna. The use of driftnets, which are the most

destructive type of fishing nets, is forbidden in many parts of the

world today. Over 75 percent of the world’s major fisheries are

so heavily exploited that reproduction cycles cannot guarantee

the sustainability of continued catches, while deep seabed

habitats are now vulnerable to destruction by bottom trawlers,

which catch a significant amount of non-targeted species, or by-

catch, which are then thrown away. Without healthy habitats,

fish populations and other marine biodiversity will decline

further. Many fisheries in freshwater and inshore areas are also

at risk from overfishing and destructive fishing methods.

Unsustainable fishing practices can also have an unintended

effect on non-marine species. Each year, 100,000 albatrosses

die on fishing hooks from commercial longline fishing for tuna,

swordfish and other species. Of the 22 species of albatross in

the world, 18 are threatened with extinction.

See TRAFFIC Factsheets 1 to 6 in Part III for more information

about fish and other types of seafood.

Taking action in hotel restaurants

© J

oël B

ilett

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Wild game

Wild game is a featured speciality item on some menus, and

many tourists are keen to sample foods and dishes made

with local game meats. However, excessive and uncontrolled

hunting of wild game for meat damages populations of the

hunted species. For example, in Europe hunting is a factor in

the decline of some bird species.

If you plan to offer such foods, it is important to obtain wild

meats from sustainable sources, such as well-managed

sustainable hunting and game ranching operations, both of

which support conservation and local economies and represent

a sustainable use of biodiversity. Many countries have

hunting and game management regulations for sustainable

management of game stocks. In Europe, a European Charter

on Hunting and Biodiversity has been developed under the

Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and

Natural Habitats, also known as the Bern Convention (http://

www.coe.int/t/dg4/cultureheritage/conventions/bern/). If

serving wild game in the Caribbean, it is highly advisable

to contact the relevant authorities to clarify the regulations

regarding the hunting, use and trade of any wild produce to

ensure relevant legislation is being complied with.

Farmed Food Resources

Fruits and vegetables

Intensive farming methods that use high levels of pesticides

and fertilisers, often with associated run-off, have led to

negative impacts on biodiversity, including a decline in many

bird species. Other key impacts on biodiversity arise from

inappropriate land clearing, land use and erosion control,

high levels of water use, planting of crops in monocultures,

declines in genetic diversity, and loss of traditional varieties of

crops and livestock. One of the largest impacts of all types of

intensive agriculture is habitat loss for other species, one of the

main causes of threatened species.

As an alternative, organic and sustainable farming methods

that exclude or minimize the use of artificial pesticides and

fertilisers greatly reduce the threats to biodiversity. Buying

locally sourced species is also important.

Meat production

Meat production is often highly intensive and has similar

impacts to intensive fruit and vegetable production. A

significant proportion of intensive meat production is based

around high-density animal stocking in barns and feedlots,

combined with use of antibiotics to prevent disease at high

stocking levels, hormones to increase growth rates and animal

feed imported from other farms and often from other countries

or continents. This imported feed is generally also intensively

produced. Furthermore, providing the same food value as meat

requires much more land area than providing it as grains and

pulses; and high-density animal farming creates large amounts

of manure and liquid wastes that run the risk of environmental

damage if they are not disposed of carefully.

Sustainable meat production uses lower-density stocking

and locally produced animal feeds – often grazing and feed

production on the same farm. Meat production can also be a

valuable use of land that is not suitable for crop production,

and part of balanced farming systems.

Aquaculture

Aquaculture (fish farming) can have adverse effects on

biodiversity if the activities are badly established and managed.

Fish and food waste from the cages used by fish farms can

pollute the sea, lakes or rivers. Antibiotics and other chemicals

that are used to keep farmed fish free of disease and parasites

can contaminate the natural ecosystem, and farmed fish

regularly escape and compete with native fish populations. In

Europe, the Federation of European Aquaculture Producers

(FEAP) has developed a code of conduct for promoting

sustainable aquaculture and avoiding impacts on the

environment and biodiversity (http://www.feap.info).

Similarly, there has been a growing interest in promoting

sustainable aquaculture practices in the Caribbean region.

In the Caribbean aquaculture of marine species is the

predominant interest and operations have included queen

conch in the Turks and Caicos islands and even green

sea turtles in the Cayman Islands. Mexico developed and

adopted aquaculture legislation in 2007 called “General Law

of Sustainable Fishery and Aquaculture” (i.e., Ley General de

Pesca y Acuacultura Sustentables). At a workshop organized

by FAO for promoting sustainable aquaculture in the Minor

Antilles, it was agreed to develop a code of best practice for

sustainable aquaculture. It is important to mention that FAO

has developed its own “Code of Conduct for Responsible

Fisheries”, including aquaculture, which is global in scope

and provides principles and standards applicable to the

conservation, management and development of all fisheries.

WHAT CAN I DO:

Internally

• Avoid purchasing species that are locally, regionally or

globally depleted, except from sustainable sources.

• Choose food items that have been certified by sustainable,

fair trade or organic certification schemes (see Box 10).

• Introduce regional dishes based on locally produced foods

on your menus.

30

One of the 65 key points listed in

Accor’s Hotel Environment Charter

involves serving a meal made from

organic ingredients. In France, Sofitel

decided to experiment with this

recommendation, which combines

environmental conservation with the use

of high-quality ingredients. Each hotel

offers its guests a menu promoting

specialities based on organic

products. Other initiatives, focused on

organic bread and biodynamic wine,

are also being implemented.

Thanks to negotiations with certain

suppliers specialising in the sale of

organic products, all the group’s

restaurants have been able to obtain

sufficient volumes without incurring

significant extra costs. Vivrao supplied

the basic organic food products,

whilst Chapoutier was selected for

two biodynamic wines, one white

and one red. Malongo, meanwhile,

became a partner in this operation

and added its organic coffee,

Ethiopian Mocha, to the menu. Finally,

each chef was free to contact a local

partner who could supply additional

labelled products, bread in particular.

The hotel managers were then free to

set the price of their menu items as

well as their profit margin.

Two types of leaflets describing

the operation’s objectives were

printed on recycled paper, one

aimed at employees and the

other at customers. These leaflets

promote organic products and their

contribution to a balanced diet.

They also explain the process of

organic farming, differentiating it from

intensive commercial farming, and

highlighting the impacts of the two

types of farming, particularly in terms

of environmental conservation and the

local economy.

This operation provided an opportunity

to show that the substantial advantages

of organic food – environmental

conservation, maintaining local species

and supporting small farmers – are

not incompatible with the luxury

hotel business.

Eric Robert

Marketing and Quality Manager

SofitelLuxuryHotel

www.accor.com

Eating ‘organic’ at Sofitel

• Raise the awareness of your staff about biodiversity issues

related to the production and harvesting of food (fish,

seafood and game),

• Educate your staff on the need to regularly check

local regulations.

• Educate your staff in helping customers understand and

appreciate foods sourced from sustainable sources and ask

them for ideas on using foods from sustainable sources in

your restaurant.

• Set up a kitchen garden, greenhouses and/or orchard, either

within the hotel grounds, or on another site.

With my suppliers

• Explain to your current suppliers that you want to purchase

foods from sustainable sources and ask them how you can

work together to put this goal into practice.

• Find new local suppliers by searching the internet and/or

contacting the government agriculture ministry. Explain

to suppliers your purchasing standards. Help them directly

to develop their activities or put them in contact with

specialised associations that can help them improve

their practices.

• Encourage and support certification schemes for sustainably

produced products.

• Seek out suppliers who use sustainable packaging materials

and systems, such as natural cork (see Box 11).

Inpartnershipwithpublicauthoritiesandlocalorganisations

• Assist local food producers and suppliers to produce

and store food supplies so that they meet your quality

requirements and demand (e.g. by supplying cool boxes with

ice for storing local sustainably caught fish, or by providing

suitable seeds, tools or other items necessary for cultivation).

With my clients

• Inform customers about the issues concerning sustainable

food production, harvesting methods that promote

biodiversity conservation, sustainable labels and the origin

of food.

• Inform customers about the benefits of sustainable food for

themselves, both in terms of health and improved taste.

• Create a small exhibition of local products or photos of local

food production and harvesting equipment.

• Invite guests and suppliers to visit the kitchen gardens,

greenhouses and/or orchards, as a means of raising awareness

and enhancing the natural experience of their stays.

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Educating people’s taste buds

and supporting biodiversity are the

objectives of a partnership formed

between Mercure hotels in Italy

and the international Slow Food

association. “Our hotels are actively

involved in the local community.

Thanks to this operation, we are

promoting local production. Moreover,

we are supporting local producers

and products that are in danger

of disappearing,” explained the

operation’s manager.

Slow Food is an association that

promotes the benefits of consuming

local products. Its aims are to spread

taste education and to defend

biodiversity. Through its “Ark of

Taste” programme for example, it

promotes the rediscovery of local

products with exceptional taste that

are in danger of disappearing and

are produced using local, traditional

methods. It thus supports traditional

agri-food producers who make high-

quality products whilst respecting

traditional know-how. The aim is

to develop a less-intensive and

less-harmful agricultural model,

which can conserve and improve

biodiversity. Slow Food therefore

tries to combine the pleasure of taste

with a deep sense of responsibility

to the environment and the world of

agricultural production.

More specifically, each of the 20

Italian hotels chooses three products

that are the result of Slow Food

projects to assist groups of artisan

producers to save an artisan food

(the Presidia). These products, based

on organically farmed food, are

included in their chef’s tasting menu.

Hotel staff members are trained,

and information brochures on the

Slow Food association are offered to

customers. In the restaurant, a film

about the association is shown and

a digital photo frame illustrates the

“route” a product takes from its origin

to the customer’s plate. In order to

coordinate this project, a Slow Food

manager was appointed at Mercure.

Slow Food provided a great deal of

support in terms of implementation

and communication, which led to the

publication of a Presidia catalogue.

Moreover, the association regularly

controls the quality of all products

bearing the Slow Food label.

In addition to the focus on locally

produced items, the initiative also

seeks to help customers discover

high-quality food. “For Mercure,

this collaboration is part of our

commitment to our customers,”

added the manager. “We already

offered a great wine menu, so it

seemed only natural to accompany it

with excellent food.” It also gives the

company a competitive edge: with

this partnership, the Mercure chain

has moved up a level in its high-

end positioning, sending a strong

message to its international clientele.

LuciaPadovan

Operations Coordinator

MercureItaly

www.accor.com

Rediscovering local food products at Mercure

© F

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32

Hotel Rosa dos Ventos is located

in a private park of 1 million m2, of

which 8,000 m2 are built property,

representing less than one percent of

its total area. More than 50 percent

of the property is preserved Atlantic

rainforest. In 1990, it became the

first hotel member of Relais &

Chateaux in Brazil.

The hotel is situated near two

protected areas that are part of an

important ecological corridor for

conservation of the natural resources

of the Atlantic Rainforest of Rio de

Janeiro. The region also acts as a

“bread basket” for the city and state

of Rio de Janeiro, with the largest

production of vegetables and fruits

in the state, mostly originating from

small and medium family-based

agricultural businesses. Hence, the

rational use of a valuable resource

such as freshwater, which is used

for many purposes and is vital to

ecosystem conservation, is a key

issue here, with the preservation of

natural water sources as an integral

part of water conservation measures.

As of 2008, Hotel Rosa dos Ventos

is offering a unique attraction to its

guests: naturally fluorinated mineral

water from the existing natural

groundwater fonts within the hotel

property. This may be considered

a luxury, as few hotels have the

possibility to offer this special treat.

The water has been analysed regularly

since 2002 and classified as Natural

Fluorinated Mineral Water. The various

natural water sources are preserved

and monitored regularly by hotel staff,

who have been trained to understand

and value such sources for what they

represent for biodiversity conservation

and human well-being and

consumption, particularly outside the

hotel property (as such water sources

also are found within the region).

Care is taken to preserve natural

rainforest vegetation and to prevent

disturbances to water sources from

walking, movement by surrounding

domestic animals and other activities.

The goal is to maintain the sources in

a pristine state and use only a portion

of the water sources on a rotational

basis. Regular chemical analyses are

carried out and reports produced.

In the hotel, the natural mineral water

is used in showers, baths and sinks

of guests´ suites and apartments,

as well as in the restaurant, saunas,

swimming pools and other hotel

facilities and services. Through the

information folder in the apartments,

guests are advised of the existence

of naturally fluorinated water sources

and the option to consume such water

in the hotel.

In terms of environmental and social

benefits, this action has contributed

to the prevention of improper land

use, including potential clearing,

contamination by agrochemical

use associated with agro-industries,

and accelerated erosion. It has also

raised the awareness of guests and

the local communities about the

value of environmental services

provided by natural, forested

catchments and the importance

and health benefits of such natural

fluorinated water sources. For the

hotel in particular, it is an added

value to offer such a luxury item

and to be able to contribute to

the maintenance of biodiversity

and ecosystem health within the

threatened Atlantic rain forest.

Using Hotel Rosa dos Ventos

as an example, the goal is now to

mobilise and form partnerships with

adjacent land owners to establish

biological corridors contributing

to the expansion of preserved

rainforest areas and biodiversity

conservation, thus enhancing the

integrity and effective maintenance

of existing protected areas of the

Serra Fluminense.

HelenioandIldikoWaddington

Owners

HotelRosadosVentos

www.hotelrosadosventos.com.br

Protecting an ecosystem service: natural water supply

Photos © Hotel Rosa dos Ventos

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Box 10: Seafood and agricultural certification schemes

Fisheries certification

The Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) runs the only

widely recognised environmental certification and eco-

labelling programme for wild capture fisheries. It is

the only seafood eco-label that is consistent with the

ISEAL Code of Good Practice for Setting Social and

Environmental Standards and UN Food and Agriculture

Organisation guidelines for fisheries certification.

MSC-certified and labelled fish, seafood and seafood

products are widely available. As of 2008, over 90

fisheries are engaged in the MSC programme, with

26 certified, 64 under assessment and another 20

to 30 in confidential pre-assessment. Together, the

fisheries record annual catches of over 4 million tonnes

of seafood, representing more than 42 percent of the

world’s wild salmon catch, 40 percent of the world’s

prime whitefish catch, and 18 percent of the world’s

lobster catches for human consumption. Worldwide,

more than 1,000 seafood products resulting from the

certified fisheries bear the blue MSC eco-label. The

MSC scheme is continuing to expand, including in

developing countries, and promotes equal access to its

certification programme irrespective of the size, scale,

type, location or intensity of the fishery.

For more information, see www.msc.org

Agricultural certification

Organic, fairtrade and sustainable agriculture

certification and labelling schemes incorporate criteria

that promote biodiversity protection in agricultural

production. All of the schemes described below meet

the International Social and Environmental Accreditation

and Labelling Alliance (ISEAL) Code of Good Practice

for Setting Social and Environmental Standards.

The main schemes for organic food labelling are

operated by the EU and the U.S., though many other

countries have similarly strict national organic labelling

schemes that are compatible with the EU and U.S.

systems. The International Federation of Organic

Agriculture Movements (IFOAM) provides up-to-date

details of the national organic certification schemes

that operate in many countries. Organic-labelled

produce is widely available for all main raw and

processed foodstuffs.

Fairtrade labelling standards promote sustainable

agriculture and totally exclude use of a wide range of

pesticides, although some pesticides may be used

in limited circumstances as specified by the Fairtrade

Labelling Organisations International (FLO). Certification

by FLO and FLO-compatible schemes currently covers

bananas, honey, oranges, cocoa, coffee, fresh fruit,

juices, nuts and oil seeds, rice, spices and herbs, sugar,

tea and wine, as well as cotton and flowers.

Standards for sustainable agriculture certification are

set by the Sustainable Agriculture Network (SAN).

These standards are used by the Rainforest Alliance

for its programme of certified agricultural products,

which includes coffee, cocoa, chocolate, bananas,

orange juice, guava, pineapple, passion fruit, plantains,

macadamia nuts and ferns that come from healthy

farms where rainforest is conserved and workers

receive fair treatment.

For more information on certification schemes that

include biodiversity in their criteria, please see:

• http://ec.europa.eu/agriculture/qual/organic/

• http://www.ams.usda.gov/

• http://www.ifoam.org/

• http://www.organicguide.com/

• http://www.fairtrade.net/

• http://www.maxhavelaar.ch/

• http://www.transfairusa.org/

• http://www.transfair.ca/

• http://www.rainforest-alliance.org/marketplace/

• http://www.rainforest-alliance.org/programs/

agriculture/san/index.html

• http://www.ecoagriculture.org

34

Located off Sonhos Beach in the

municipality of Palhoça, Santa

Catarina state, Brazil, the 142,000 m²

Papagaio Island has operated as an

inn since 1994. In 1984, the family that

owns the island acquired 60,000 m2 in

a coastal continental area across from

the island, transforming it into an area

for natural recovery of the rainforest.

Although Papagaio Island is located

in one of the best preserved coastal

zones of the State of Santa Catarina,

fishing, inappropriate aquaculture,

unregulated coastal development

and unmanaged marine recreational

activities (boating, jet ski rides,

etc.) threaten local ecosystems and

biodiversity. Furthermore, the

decline of traditional maritime activity

and fishing has led to an exodus of

local fishermen.

To prevent the loss of coastal

biodiversity from unsustainable

fishing practices (including fishing

of all species and size, and removal

of mussels and shellfish from

coastal rocky shores by tourists and

fishermen) as well the loss of the

social and cultural fabric of the region,

the owner of the Papagaio Island Inn

decided to promote the cultivation of

oysters (as well as mussels and other

shellfish) using sustainable methods.

Through this action, the hotel aims

to participate in the conservation of

local marine biodiversity and promote

economic and social development

among local fishermen who are

dependent on the marine resources

for their livelihoods.

This project, a pioneer in Brazil, began

in 1988. Initial production was 300

dozen oysters/month, and the project

employed two local staff members.

Today, the company, Moluskus

Marine Farm, produces oysters on

30 long lines in seven hectares and

employs 16 local staff. The 1 million

oysters produced each year are sold

both nationally and internationally.

Partnerships were established with

the fisheries sector to improve

sustainable management of the

activity, and 14 different producers

have taken up sustainable oyster and

mussel cultivation. Local fishermen

are also involved in all the aspects of

production, including manufacture

of gear, selection and classification

of oysters, daily maintenance, and

making and selling souvenirs from

the shells. Guests of the hotel can

observe oyster cultivation firsthand

from the inn and can savour the fresh

catch every day in the hotel restaurant

through its delicious menu options.

Key benefits of this initiative include

the strengthening of sustainable

fisheries management among

local fishers and the adoption and

implementation of best practices

through partnerships established with

the fisheries sector. The creation of a

sustainable industry associated with a

tourism destination has contributed to

minimization of threats to biodiversity

and maintenance of protected areas,

while the hotel has been able to

contribute to community cultural and

economic development.

To take the project a step further,

specific training in sustainable

economic alternatives is planned for

local communities and fishermen. The

aim is to enhance skills and provide

consensus on business guidelines

and best practices, based on the

various successful efforts to achieve

sustainable fisheries in the region.

RenatoSehn

Owner

PousadaIlhadoPapagaio

(PapagaioIslandInn)

www.papagaio.com.br

Community-cultivated seafood for conservation

Photos © Renato Sehn, Director, Ilha do Papagaio

Box 11: Saving the cork oak landscapes by serving

wine with cork stoppers

For centuries, wine bottles have been sealed with

cork stoppers made from the bark of the cork oak

tree (Quercus suber). Cork is a natural product – it is

renewable and biodegradable. Harvesting cork is one of

the most environmentally friendly harvesting processes

on Earth: no single tree is cut to harvest the cork, and

after harvesting, the trees produce more bark.

Cork oak forests are found only in Portugal, Spain, Italy,

France, Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia. They are ranked

among the most valuable in terms of biodiversity in the

world for the endemic plants and endangered species

they support, including the Iberian lynx, the Iberian

imperial eagle, and the Barbary deer. The economic

value of cork oak forests means they – and their

biodiversity - are protected by the communities that

harvest the cork.

Cork for bottle stoppers accounts for almost 70 percent

of the total value of the cork market. However, with

increasing use of plastic and metal stoppers for wine

bottles, sales of cork stoppers are declining. As the

value of cork forests declines, the forests and their

biodiversity are at higher risk of fires, degradation or

being converted to other uses.

You can take action in your hotel to help preserve the

cork forests by only purchasing wine in bottles sealed

with cork stoppers. As a further step for additional

assurance that cork comes from a

well-managed forest, select wines in bottles sealed with

FSC-certified cork stoppers (see Box 12 for details of

FSC certification).

Sources:assets.wwf.es/downloads/factsheet_dagon_ok.pdf

www.panda.org/about_wwf/where_we_work/europe/ what_we_do/mediterranean/about/forests/cork/index.cfm

www.fsc.org

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Six Senses is an international luxury

resort and spa group, actively

involved in biodiversity conservation

and in the sustainable development of

tourism in general.

The group has introduced strong

principles on food supplies, which

apply to all of their hotels. They

purchase locally produced fruit and

vegetables, meat, fish and seafood,

and also try to ensure that the

techniques used to produce these

items are environmentally friendly.

The group has drawn up a list of foods

that are prohibited or are subject

to strict consumption conditions.

Certain fish, whose stocks are now

dramatically low due to overfishing,

are banned. Many are only permitted

if there is a certificate guaranteeing

responsible fishing conditions, as

in the case of tuna and shark. For

example, line-caught fish are strongly

recommended, because mass fishing

techniques (nets, bottom trawling,

etc.) have a particularly destructive

impact on marine biodiversity, leading

to the indiscriminate catching of

different fish species, destruction of

the seabed, and other negative

impacts. For some species, such as

catfish and oysters, there are strict

requirements for sourcing only from

sustainable fish farms.

In addition to considerations related

to the conservation of biodiversity

and the environment, other principles

are also applied to this list of

banned foods. Some food items are

placed on the list because they are

not considered to be healthy (milk

chocolate or white bread, products

containing too many additives, etc.),

or because they come from parts of

the world where the political situation

contravenes human rights, or where

labour rights are not respected.

A list was drawn up for the whole

group, but each hotel is encouraged

to complete it in accordance with

local requirements, the species

available locally and the supply

conditions. Each hotel then works in

collaboration with local communities

to identify products that are available

locally depending on the season,

put into place farming, fishing

and other production techniques

that are aligned with sustainability

principles, and, in some cases, even

request certifications. They establish

long-term relationships with local

fishermen, guaranteeing that they

will buy their catches if they meet the

group’s criteria.

Six Senses ensures all managers

and staff are trained and well-

informed on the issue. Thus, staff

members develop an awareness

and a global understanding of

the sustainability issues in food

production and supply and are able

to ensure sustainable sourcing.

JuergenE.Seidel

Group Director of Property

Maintenance, Engineering &

Innovation

SixSensesResorts&Spas

www.sixsenses.com

Sustainable food

Wood

WHAT ARE THE LOCAL AND

GLOBAL BIODIVERSITY ISSUES?

Unsustainable use of wood for construction, furniture and

other uses threatens rich and diverse forests around the

world. Clear-cut logging of old growth forests destroys forest

ecosystems, while intensive forestry plantations can damage

the environment through habitat conversion or the use of

pesticides and chemicals. For example, unsustainable logging

threatens mahogany and other forest ecosystems in Latin

America, causing most species of mahogany to be listed as

threatened on the IUCN Red List. In Indonesia, illegal logging

has destroyed more than half of the country’s forests, and is

driving species like the Sumatran rhino, tiger and orang-utan

towards extinction.

Forest ecosystems are home to more than half of the world’s

terrestrial biodiversity, protect water catchments, control water

flows to prevent flooding, stabilize soils to prevent erosion

and moderate climate change by storing carbon that would

otherwise be released to the atmosphere. Degrading forests

destroys the vital products and services that these ecosystems

provide, including fuel, traditional medicines and food for

human communities.

See TRAFFIC Factsheet 7 in Part III for more information on

woods for furniture and construction.

WHAT CAN I DO:

Internally

• Identify the wood products purchased by your hotel that

may negatively impact high-biodiversity forests, and

substitute alternative wood products from sustainable

sources when making future purchases.

• Explain to your staff the need to obtain wood from

sustainably managed sources and the need to regularly

check local forestry regulations, and ensure that purchased

timber and forest-derived products have been harvested in

compliance with those regulations.

• Re-use wood whenever possible.

• Provide staff with information about the sustainable wood

used in your hotel, and about activities your hotel takes to

support tree planting and sustainable forestry.

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Box 12: Forest-related certification systems

Forest Stewardship Council

The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) promotes

environmentally responsible, socially beneficial and

economically viable management of the world’s forests

through its worldwide standard of recognised and

respected Principles of Forest Stewardship. Forests

that meet these standards can request certification and

then use the FSC logo on their wood and related forest

products. The FSC label allows purchasers around the

world to recognise products that support the growth of

responsible forest management. FSC operates through

its network of national initiatives in 45 countries.

Over 94 million hectares in more than 75 countries have

been certified to date according to FSC standards, and

several thousand products are produced using FSC-

certified wood and carrying the FSC trademark. The

FSC scheme is continuing to expand the total area of

FSC-certified forests, including in developing countries.

For more information, see: www.fsc.org

Sustainable Forestry Initiative

Originally established in 1994 by the American Forest

and Paper Association as a code of conduct for

the forest products industry in the United States,

the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) became an

independent organisation in 1997. In 2002, the

organisation developed the SFI labelling programme to

certify forest products. Today, the programme includes

219 participants across 137 million acres, 127 million

of which are independently third-party-certified to the

SFI Standard. There are 37 separate state, regional

and provincial SFI Implementation Committees in

North America, and the organisation has trained nearly

100,000 loggers and foresters since 1995.

For more information, see: www.sfiprogram.org

Canadian National Standard on Sustainable

Forest Management

Developed by the Canadian Standards Association

(CSA), Canada’s National Standard on Sustainable

Forest Management was first published in 1996. The

standard covers three areas: public participation,

performance and systems to achieve the desired result.

The system also focuses on the principle of continued

improvement. To be certified, an organisation must go

through a third-party, independent audit of the sustainable

forestry management requirements in the Standard.

For more information, see: www.certificationcanada.

org/english/

Programme for the Endorsement of Forest

Certification schemes

Founded in 1999, the Programme for the Endorsement

of Forest Certification schemes (PEFC) is an independent,

non-profit, non-governmental organisation for the

assessment and mutual recognition of national forest

certification schemes. PEFC currently has 35 independent

national forest certification systems in its membership,

of which 25 have been through a rigorous assessment

process involving public consultation and independent

assessors. These 25 schemes together account for

more than 200 million hectares of certified forests.

For more information, see: www.pefc.org

With my suppliers

• Avoid purchasing timber and forest-derived products from

species that are locally, regionally or globally depleted,

that are of unknown origin, or from areas which are over-

harvested, and/or that have been harvested illegally.

• Explain to your suppliers that you want to purchase wood

from regulated and sustainable sources, for example wood

and wood products that have been certified by the Forest

Stewardship Council or other forest-related certification

schemes (see Box 12), and ask them how you can work

together to put this objective into practice.

Inpartnershipwithpublicauthoritiesandlocalorganisations

• Support local sustainable forestry projects, such as

establishment of local plant nurseries, forest restoration, or

promotion of sustainable timber and fuel wood production.

Your hotel can support projects like this by purchasing

timber and fuel wood from them; providing assistance

such as funding for basic training; obtaining suitable seeds,

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tools and other items necessary for plant nurseries; and by

distributing information about their efforts.

• Support local projects that help communities use fuel wood

more efficiently, such as the introduction of more efficient

wood-fuelled stoves and alternative renewable energy

supply options, such as micro-hydropower schemes.

With my clients

• Provide information to guests on how you integrate

biodiversity concerns in relation to wood, for example about

what certified wood the hotel uses and what local forest

conservation projects the hotel supports. In cases where

your hotel has antique furniture, explain to your guests that

the wood in the antique furniture originates from a time

when biodiversity was not under the same threat as today.

• Promote visits to local forest conservation projects.

• Collect donations for local forest conservation projects from

your guests.

Amenities and spa products

WHAT ARE THE LOCAL AND

GLOBAL BIODIVERSITY ISSUES?

Plants have always been a basic resource for human health

and well-being, and more than 70,000 plant species are used

around the world for health and body care purposes. Interest in

and demand for plant-based body care products is increasing

worldwide, particularly in rapidly expanding urban societies.

Increased consumption of body care products derived from

plants is putting increased pressure on a resource that is

largely harvested from depleted wild populations in shrinking

wild habitats.

As many as 15,000 species of medicinal and aromatic plants

are threatened by over-harvesting or loss of habitat. One

example of this trend is the sandalwood tree, Santalum album:

mature sandalwood trees are felled to extract their aromatic oil

for use in body care products and perfumes, and, as a result,

the species is seriously threatened in India, Indonesia, Papua

New Guinea and the South Pacific.

See TRAFFIC Factsheet 8 in Part III for more information on

medicinal and aromatic plants for amenities and spa products.

WHAT CAN I DO:

Internally

• Check all products containing plant-based products to

ensure that the plants used to make these products:

- have been harvested sustainably, and have been

collected from cultivated sources that do not endanger

wild sources of supply. Appropriate standards include the

International Standard for Sustainable Wild Collection of

Medicinal and Aromatic Plants (http://www.floraweb.de/

proxy/floraweb/MAP-pro/Standard_Version1_0.pdf) or

organic, fair trade and sustainable agriculture standards

(see Box 10 on page 33); and

- are not endangered and/or listed under CITES.

• Explain to your staff the hotel’s commitment in relation to

the use of medicinal and aromatic plants in amenities and

spa products. Help them to communicate with customers

about these issues.

With my suppliers

• Choose products from reputable sources that are informed

about conservation and sustainable use issues associated

with production and sourcing of plant-based body-

care products, and which operate in accordance with

international sustainability standards. Appropriate standards

Box 13: Design of a hotel procurement pollicy

In the case of companies regularly purchasing

timber and paper products, it is recommended to

design a written policy, signed by executive staff

and communicated internally to relevant staff, but

also externally, e.g. to suppliers. An easy to use and

comprehensive guide to develop such a policy can

be found on World Wildlife Fund’s website (http://

sourcing.gftn.panda.org/). The core idea is a ‘stair

case model’ (see below), which basically divides

supply into two categories: Sources with additional

information on legality or sustainability and Sources

without such information, which should be avoided

unless the information can be provided.

Source:WWF/GFTN2011,http://sourcing.gftn.panda.org/

See TRAFFIC Factsheet 7 in Part III for more information

on woods for furniture and construction.

Unknown Source Unwanted Source

Known Source

Known Licenced Source

Source Progressing towards Certification

Credibly Certified / Recycled Source

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Complimentary toiletries offered

in hotel rooms (soap, shower gel,

shampoo, etc.) form an important

part of the welcome hoteliers offer

their guests. These products will be

better received by customers if they

combine high quality with respect for

the environment.

When hotels in the Accor group

decided to identify “eco-friendly”

complimentary toiletries, the group

carried out a thorough study. A model

specifications ledger, specific to

Accor, was created to help the brands

develop their complimentary toiletries

ranges by introducing environmental

criteria. A charter provided them with

recommendations in order to form

partnerships with their suppliers and

to allow the products to advance,

whilst limiting any additional costs

that this might entail.

Finally, a study of the different French

labels was carried out. The Cosmebio

label is the most widespread in

France. Since 2002, Cosmebio has

been selling two cosmetics labels:

the ECO (eco-friendly) label and the

BIO (eco-friendly and organic) label.

Both these labels certify that the

products contain a minimum of 95

percent natural ingredients. However,

the Cosmebio BIO label goes even

further with its requirements for

organic ingredients. There are other

less frequently used labels, for

example the German “certified natural

cosmetics” label from BDIH, the AB

Agriculture certification for essential

oils or the Nature & Progrès label,

which requires products to contain

100 percent organic ingredients.

The importance of these labels

lies in their support for organic

farming, a means of production

that respects biodiversity and the

ecological balance.

After consulting the suppliers,

it turned out that products with

Cosmebio labels are currently hard

to obtain in large quantities and for

international distribution. At present,

only a few suppliers are working

towards obtaining this certification,

and they are not yet ready to work

with the group’s international brands.

In the end, the company chose the

European Ecolabel, which is less

strict than Cosmebio, but more widely

used, thus ensuring adequate supply.

It guarantees that the products

contain substances that are less

harmful to the environment or to

human health, are less damaging to

aquatic ecosystems and are highly

biodegradable.

Ibis and Novotel, the group’s leading

brands with regards to environmental

management, have now confirmed

their new range, which is entirely

ecolabelled. Several brands, such as

All Seasons, are also working with

them. In the longer term, the group

hopes to be able to accompany

its brands with Cosmebio-labelled

products as they become available.

NathanaëlMathieu

SustainableDevelopmentProject

Manager

Accor

www.accor.com

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include the International Standard for Sustainable Wild

Collection of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants (http://www.

floraweb.de/proxy/floraweb/MAP-pro/Standard_Version1_0.

pdf), or organic, fair trade and sustainable agriculture

standards (see Box 10 on page 33).

• Explain to your current suppliers that you want to purchase

plant-based spa products and similar items that come

from sustainable sources, and ask them how you can work

together to put this standard into practice.

• Support local communities and producers to build their own

businesses for sustainable harvest and cultivation of plants

for production of plant-based body-care products, and once

these businesses are established, purchase their products.

With my clients

• Explain to your clients the importance of protecting

medicinal and aromatic plants, and offer information about

where they can purchase medicinal and aromatic plant

products that are produced sustainably. Consider selling a

selection of these products in the hotel shop.

• Use the wall space in the spas to showcase local culture

and biodiversity through photographs and artefacts.

Ornamental plants and animals

WHAT ARE THE LOCAL AND

GLOBAL BIODIVERSITY ISSUES?

Use of ornamental species of plants and animals, including

any exotic pets, such as iguanas, turtles, parrots or fish, can

damage biodiversity through over-collection or the impacts of

invasive alien species on a natural ecosystem.

Collection of species from the wild

Collecting species from the wild can deplete wild populations

and threaten the survival of a species, either because the

numbers of individuals collected are too high or because the

collection methods negatively impact sensitive habitats. For

example, some fish collectors illegally use poison to immobilize

fish on reefs, enabling them to collect many more fish than

by other methods. This practice can severely deplete fish

populations and introduce poisons into the ecosystem that

harm other species on the reef. Many wild plants are also

threatened by unsustainable collection, including cycads

collected for horticultural use and some populations of

pitcher-plants (Sarracenia spp.) that are collected for the cut

flower and horticultural trades.

Invasive alien ornamental species

Many popular ornamental plants and animals are highly invasive

when introduced into new areas, and can threaten native species.

For example, the koi carp, a colourful variety of common carp

that is used as an ornamental fish in garden ponds, can out-

compete native species. Guppies (Poecilia reticulata), which

are a popular aquarium fish species, can escape and survive

in many sub-tropical and temperate freshwater habitats, where

they damage populations of native fishes and food insects.

Examples of alien invasive ornamental plants include the

tamarisk (Tamarix ramosissima), which reduces biodiversity

in areas it invades since it provides poor habitat for birds and

does not support many insect species. The water hyacinth

(Eichhornia crassipes) can significantly alter the local ecology in

ecosystems where it is intentionally or accidentally introduced,

causing major declines in native biodiversity if the introduction

is not adequately pre-assessed and effectively managed.

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Islands are particularly fragile environments which often hold

a great number of endemic species, and the islands of the

Caribbean are no exception, which makes the region especially

vulnerable to biological invasions. Currently, Island conservation

groups, as well as governmental authorities, are taking steps

to protect natural sites for the continued existence of plants

and animals in the most sensitive Caribbean ecosystems, and

they are trying to find ways in which to minimize the impact of

invasive species, which are decimating populations of endemic

species throughout the islands at alarming rates. (www.

Caribbeanconservation.org ).

The lionfish is one example of an invasive alien species

affecting the Caribbean. Its native range encompasses the Red

Sea, the Indian Ocean, and the western Pacific, and has been

established in the Caribbean via the aquarium trade. A study

conducted in Florida (Albins and Hixon, 2008) indicates that

reproduction of coral-reef fishes can be reduced by around

80% where predatory lionfish have invaded the location.

This suggests that it may also compete with native predatory

species by monopolizing this important food resource. In

addition, lionfish have the potential to decrease the abundance

of ecologically important species such as parrotfish and other

herbivorous fishes that keep seaweeds and macroalgae from

overgrowing corals (http://nas.er.usgs.gov).

See TRAFFIC Factsheet 9 in Part III for more information on live

animals.

See TRAFFIC Factsheet 12 in Part III for more information on

horticultural plants.

WHAT CAN I DO:

Internally

• Create a list of hotel activities that run the risk of introducing

alien invasive species, and explain to your staff your

programme for limiting the use of invasive species.

• Get an audit of the existing invasive species in or around

your hotel, and obtain advice from appropriate specialists

(e.g. agronomists, conservation managers, fisheries

specialists and botanists) on how to remove them.

• Avoid the use of locally, regionally or globally

threatened species.

With my suppliers

• In cooperation with local nurseries and landscaping

contractors, check that ornamental plants and animals used

in your hotel are not listed as invasive species and give

preference to the use of alternative native species (for more

information, see the Global Invasive Species Programme,

http://www.gisp.org/species/index.asp).

• Ensure that any ornamental plants and animals that your

hotel purchases come from sustainably cultivated or

collected sources. Use certified sources, such as reef fish

certified by the Marine Aquarium Council (see Box 14).

Inpartnershipwithpublicauthoritiesandlocalorganisations

• Engage local conservation organisations, universities,

botanical gardens and plant nurseries in the design and

decoration with plants of the hotel’s public areas, and

provision of explanatory signs.

• Raise awareness in community and public organisations

about the problems that invasive species cause and

ways of controlling them, and the precautions linked to

threatened species.

• Support programmes to eradicate invasive species and

those that promote conservation of native fauna and flora

species, or that use them for educational purposes.

With my clients

• Provide information on how you integrate biodiversity

concerns in the decoration of the hotel with ornamental

plants and if live animal displays are used, including

information on the issue of invasive species as a rationale

for the choice for indigenous plants.

• Explain to your clients the problems that invasive species

cause, and ways of controlling them.

• Inform clients about how to treat animals present on

your premises.

Box 14: Marine Aquarium Council certification

The Marine Aquarium Council (MAC) runs an international certification programme for the quality and sustainability of marine aquarium organisms. MAC’s mission is to conserve coral reefs and other marine ecosystems by creating standards and certification for those engaged in the collection and care of ornamental marine life from reef to aquarium, and its standards comply with the ISEAL Code of Good Practice for Setting Social and Environmental Standards.

The certification programme has the support of the aquarium trade, and the number of MAC-certified collectors and suppliers of ornamental fish continues to expand, for example, in countries such as Fiji, Indonesia and the Philippines, which supply more that half of the global trade in wild-collected ornamental fish and corals.

For more information, see: www.aquariumcouncil.org

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WHAT ARE THE LOCAL AND

GLOBAL BIODIVERSITY ISSUES?

Widespread collection from the wild of various plants and

animals for production of souvenirs can have serious negative

impacts on biodiversity, and the survival of some species

is threatened by their use or overuse in souvenir products.

For example, populations of black coral in the Caribbean, as

well as red coral in the Mediterranean, have been severely

damaged by intensive exploitation for production of jewellery

and ornaments that are sold locally. Hunting of animals for

their fur and other parts has severely impacted populations

of tigers (mainly hunted for their bones for use in traditional

medicine), leopards and jaguars, while trade in reptile skins

has severely impacted crocodile populations. Elephant and

rhinoceros populations have suffered as a result of heavy

demand for their ivory and horns, while marine species like

the giant clam and the Critically Endangered hawksbill turtle

have been affected by the high levels of demand of the

animals for both their shells and for their meat. Plant species

damaged by over-harvesting in the wild for the souvenir

trade include various orchids, cacti (including “rain sticks”

made from stems of some cacti) and cycads, as well as some

tropical hardwoods, such as mahogany.

Because of the threats to their survival, international trade in

some of the species used in souvenirs is regulated under CITES

(see Box 9 on page 26). Their local uses may also be controlled

by national regulations, in the country where a hotel is located

and/or in the countries where many of your guests may come

from. Guests who try to take home any of these banned or

regulated items risk large fines and confiscation of the items.

By making guests aware of endangered species and products

that they should avoid, and making sure that they are not sold

in your hotel shop, you are protecting your guests and your hotel,

as well as the endangered wildlife. It is also important to consider

the ethics of trading mineral and fossil souvenirs (see Box 15).

See TRAFFIC Factsheet 8 in Part III for more information on

medicinal and aromatic plants for amenities and spa products.

See TRAFFIC Factsheet 10 in Part III for more information on

wildlife-based souvenirs.

See TRAFFIC Factsheet 11 in Part III for more information on

Caribbean marine turtles.

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WHAT CAN I DO:

Internally

• Regularly check (e.g. annually) with local authorities and

associations for species added to CITES lists and national

legislation controlling or banning trade in threatened species

(http://www.cites.org).

• Train your staff to communicate about the issues concerning

illegal trade in endangered species, CITES, and local

regulations to protect endangered species.

With my suppliers

• Inform shop managers or leaseholders about issues

concerning illegal trade in endangered species, the species

on the CITES lists and regulations controlling or banning

trade in threatened species.

• Ensure that shop managers or leaseholders understand that

they should not display, stock or sell any products derived

from endangered species and/or contravening CITES

regulations and/or national legislation controlling or banning

trade in endangered or threatened species.

Inpartnershipwithpublicauthoritiesandlocalorganisations

• Encourage local artists to develop souvenirs from

sustainable materials, including recycled products.

• Raise awareness in the community and public organisations

about threatened species and the need to protect them.

• Work in partnership with local authorities and non-

governmental organisations (NGOs) on programmes to

control use of local threatened species and their parts in

production of souvenirs and other items.

With my clients

• Provide information (videos, DVDs, posters and photo

books) to your guests about illegal trade in endangered

species and trade restrictions under CITES and/or national

legislation. Highlight the fact that customs authorities are

trained to check for such species and products derived from

these species, and make available information on the fines

imposed in the countries of origin of the customers. A useful

point of contact is the national CITES management authority

(for contact details, see Appendix 3 and http://www.cites.

org/cms/index.php/lang-en/component/cp/). The National

CITES management authority provides information on

species traded internationally, and should be able to advise

on where to find out about domestic regulations.

• Have a sign in your shop saying that customers can buy

“CITES-proof” souvenirs and articles there, as a guarantee

that they will not be in trouble with customs upon departure

or arrival.

• Offer guests the opportunity to buy toy animals of

charismatic local species that are under threat (e.g.

turtles, etc.) for their children. Often local environmental

organisations produce such animals or other biodiversity-

related toys.

Box 15: Mineral and fossil souvenirs

The sale of mineral and fossil specimens in

hotel shops is another aspect to consider when

implementing a responsible conservation policy

within hotels, although there has been less work

done on the ethics on the trade in geological

heritage than for biodiversity.

Some types of specimens are certainly inappropriate

and should never be traded, such as stalactites

and stalagmites. There are different views regarding

the ethics of trade in mineral and fossil specimens,

and a growing number of countries are now also

concerned about their fossil and mineral resources

being collected and traded illegally. Hotels should

make genuine inquiries about the sustainability and

scientific integrity of the site from which the material

was extracted, the working conditions of the people

working at such sites or indeed the legality of the

extraction in the first place.

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Manary Praia Hotel is a small,

romantic hotel located in Natal, a city

of 800,000 people. The hotel is on

Ponta Negra Beach, one of the most

important beach resort destinations

in northeast Brazil, and surrounded

by two major protected areas of

primary rainforest.

In this area lives the most endangered

marine mammal in Brazil: the

manatee. During colonial times, this

gentle giant was present along most

of the northeastern Brazilian coast,

but due to hunting and habitat loss,

only an estimated 500 individuals are

still living in the wild, in a much more

restricted range. To stop poor coastal

communities from hunting manatees

for food, the Manatee Project (www.

projetopeixe-boi.com.br), a federal

government project, has developed a

number of initiatives.

One of these initiatives involves

the production of manatee stuffed

toys and employs the daughters of

former poachers.

In 2000, Eduardo, the owner of the

Manary Praia Hotel, came across the

Manatee Research Center, where the

manatee toys were sold. He then had

the idea to offer the toys to guests

of his hotel. When guests enter their

rooms, they see these cute toys on

their beds, with a small brochure

explaining the history and purpose

of the Manatee Project. A DVD and a

book about the Manatee Project are

also available to guests. Tours of the

Manatee Research Center (Centro de

Mamíferos Aquáticos do IBAMA) at

Pernambuco State and the Manatee

Project facilities where manatees

are re-introduced to the natural

environment can be arranged through

the front desk.

This initiative is promoted through the

website of the hotel, which links to the

Manatee Project website, and hotel

staff are also aware of the initiative

and its goals.

The advantage of this initiative is

its simplicity, which involves simply

ordering the toys, paying for them in

advance, and selling them to guests

with a small mark-up to pay for the

costs of the operation (delivery, taxes,

etc.). No profit is made from this

initiative, aside from the benefits to

the hotel’s image, which is considered

a desirable side-effect. Since 2000,

the hotel has sold close to 600

manatee toys, raising US$11,500.

Considering that the Brazilian

minimum monthly wage is about

US$259.00, this money could help a

former poacher family sustain itself for

nearly four years. But more than the

money, the hotel manager believes

that the subtle message they pass to

their guests shows that it is always

possible to do something to help

conserve our planet’s biodiversity.

Based on the example of the Manary

Praia, a major nationwide home store

(Tok & Stock) has begun to offer the

same toys at its facilities, hoping to

bring in even more revenue for the

Manatee Project.

Eduardo Bagnoli

Owner

ManaryPraiaHotel

www.manary.com.br

A souvenir that supports biodiversity conservation

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Six Senses is an international luxury

resort and spa group, actively

involved in biodiversity conservation

and in the sustainable development

of tourism in general. The Six Senses

group has strong principles regarding

biodiversity conservation, and marine

conservation in particular.

One of its activities involves

monitoring products sold in resort

shops, to ensure that there are no

products derived from endangered

animals or plants and, in particular,

species that make up the coral reef

ecosystem: shark fins or teeth, coral,

shells, flowers, etc.

These principles form part of the

group’s policies and procedures,

which apply to each of the resort

shops, because they are all owned

and managed by the Six Senses

group. However, this policy is

above all based on fieldwork in

local communities.

The resort teams are responsible

for monitoring any illegal practices

in the surrounding communities,

such as the collection of protected

species (turtles, shells, etc.) for sale

to tourists. If any of these practices

are detected, the reasons behind

them are studied on a case-by-case

basis and solutions are sought. They

work first and foremost with the most

underprivileged populations in the

surrounding communities in order

to reduce poverty. In particular, they

can offer them an alternative source

of income through the production of

more “ethical” souvenirs, and also

train them and raise their awareness

of environmental issues.

The Six Senses establishments

encourage the production of objects

that can later be sold to tourists

in the resorts and spas and will

constitute a source of income for

these populations. On the one hand,

the group looks for artisans who can

make interesting articles and provides

them with support. It also encourages

members of the community to adapt

traditional techniques, such as the

local production of rice paper, to

today’s requirements. The rice paper,

for example, is used to make gift-wrap

and for the hotel’s brochures. Finally,

the hotels also encourage the creation

of souvenirs made from recycled

materials, such as toys made from

coconut shells.

In order to provide this support, the

Six Senses group commits to buying

the artisans’ products and offers ideas

for manufacturing souvenirs to suit the

tourists’ tastes. It also offers training

and awareness-raising actions, which

are carried out either internally by

resort teams, or by the financing

of external collaborators who are

identified in the community.

JuergenE.Seidel

Group Director of Property

Maintenance, Engineering &

Innovation

SixSensesResorts&Spas

www.sixsenses.com

Discouraging illegal souvenirs

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WHAT ARE THE LOCAL AND

GLOBAL BIODIVERSITY ISSUES?

Maintaining a hotel’s gardens and grounds can have negative

impacts on biodiversity through pollution from pesticides and

fertilizers and excessive water consumption for watering and

irrigation. In addition, some species used in gardens are highly

invasive and can cause substantial damage to populations of

native species and disrupt natural ecosystem processes, while

the use of locally, regionally or globally threatened species

can put additional stress on species populations. Light and

noise from hotel facilities can disturb wildlife, making it more

difficult for some species to feed and reproduce effectively. For

example, the reproductive success of marine turtles is greatly

diminished when there are bright lights near to their nesting

beaches, as new hatchlings may become confused and head

toward the buildings instead of the sea. Conversion of natural

habitats to recreational uses, including gardens and sports

grounds, can also lead to fragmentation of local ecosystems

and reduce the overall space available for wildlife.

See TRAFFIC Factsheet 12 in Part III for more information on

the use of horticultural plants.

WHAT CAN I DO:

Internallyand/orwithmysuppliers

• Plant local indigenous species and/or drought-resistant

species wherever possible in landscaped and garden areas.

Even small gardens in city hotels can incorporate such

species. Purchase these plants from local greenhouses.

• If you plan to have exotic animals on your grounds, ensure

that you have all the relevant national permits that may be

required for purchasing and keeping them, and that they are

obtained from sustainable sources.

• Check that plants used in your hotel’s grounds and gardens

are not listed as invasive species (for more information, see

the Global Invasive Species Programme, http://www.gisp.

org/species/index.asp).

• Plant local, native tree and bush species to create shaded

areas and new habitats. You can also green your roofs and

walls, which will also have a positive energy savings effect.

• Encourage wildlife in your hotel grounds. For example,

consider creating a wildlife garden, or in small urban spaces

provide suitable nesting places for birds and nesting boxes

and/or grow plants attractive to butterflies. Where possible,

set aside land as natural areas or reserves; even small areas

can be valuable for wildlife.

• Work with local wildlife experts to ensure that hotel lighting

does not adversely affect wildlife, particularly if your hotel is

situated near sensitive wildlife sites, such as turtle nesting

beaches. Use lighting equipment that minimises the upward

spread of light near to and above the horizontal (e.g. by using

cowlings that direct light downwards). Locate lights to reduce

stray light and glare to a minimum; away from buildings,

luminance should not exceed five candela per square metre

(Cd/m2). For some species, there are specific requirements

– e.g. for turtles, no bright lights should be visible from

beaches during the breeding and hatching period.

• Use sound insulation and reduce noise at source, to limit

disturbance to wildlife.

Inpartnershipwithpublicauthoritiesandlocalorganisations

• Consult with local conservation organisations, universities

or botanical gardens in the design of a biodiversity-friendly

garden or hotel grounds.

• Develop explanatory signs on the various species, in

partnership with local conservation organisations.

• Engage local teachers, conservation organisations, universities

or botanical gardens in developing nature trails and biodiversity

edu-tainment (education + entertainment) activities for

children and their families, e.g. a game to explore and discover

different aspects of biodiversity in and around the hotel.

• Encourage use of local indigenous species and

incorporation of wildlife areas in gardens and public areas.

• Support programmes to eradicate alien invasive species.

• Support the development of local biodiversity businesses,

such as indigenous tree nurseries, and incorporate the

products of these businesses in your supply chain.

With my clients

• Communicate with guests about how you have integrated

biodiversity concerns in the design and management of the

grounds by:

- placing signs on trees and in flower beds with the names

of the indigenous species;

- setting up nature trails for guests with interpretative

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leaflets and other types of information about biodiversity

on the trail; and

- including a map of the garden, with the various species

and opportunities for bird and wildlife watching, in the

hotel directory that is available to guests in their rooms.

The map should also be available on the wall next to

the door to the garden, and could also be printed on the

paper used on trays to serve coffee, tea and snacks in

the garden.

• Design sign boards on the hotel beach to inform guests

about local biodiversity resources and how they can

contribute to their conservation.

Historically, many French Novotel

hotels were built on the edge of

towns, on major roads, to meet

the demands of business travelers.

Indeed, these establishments were

generally constructed on large plots,

which at the time the hotels were built

were very inexpensive.

Today, the original appeal of these

hotels, located in areas that have

now been turned into commercial

and industrial zones, is diminishing.

However, thanks to their large

plots, these establishments can

provide a natural escape in these

unattractive surroundings. This fact

gave rise to the idea of restoring and

improving these areas to turn them

into a showcase for the hotel chain’s

environmental programme.

The hotels are offered a guide for

managing their land that is based on

two principles: the hotels have to start

by rethinking what to do with their land

and choose plant species adapted

to the local conditions. They then

ensure responsible management of

the area, using natural techniques and

products suited to the seasons and

transforming the landscape to make it

more attractive for wildlife and people.

The guide was written over a two-year

period, based on pilots at three hotels,

and in collaboration with the group’s

national management.

Novotel Limoges was one of the

pilot hotels in this national project.

In order to develop its 7,000 m² of

green spaces and make them more

attractive, the hotel transformed its

gardens by creating a natural flower

meadow, by rethinking lawn mowing

and by imagining a garden full of

scented plants. In the flower borders

along the entrance, there are trellises

with climbing plants, and shrubs with

flowers or berries make up hedges

that attract butterflies and birds.

Information boards, installed in the

hotel entrance, explain the project and

the company’s achievements.

This operation has mobilised many

local partners: a plant nursery worker

and a botanist; the company looking

after the green spaces and promoting

the work carried out by disabled

people; and police youth intervention

officers, whose workshops have

produced nest boxes and signs. In

all these pilot hotels, the restoration of

the land to adapt it to local species

was carried out in partnership with the

French bird protection association,

(LPO). The city of Lyon also provided

its expertise for this new green space

management.

This experience demonstrates the

interest in this subject shared by a

wide variety of stakeholders, who

between them have the means and

expertise to allow projects such as

this to be carried out more easily.

Daniel Cunin

ManagerofNovotelLimogesleLac

&YvesLecret

Operational Marketing Manager of

NovotelFrance

www.accor.com

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Supporting local biodiversity conservation efforts

WHAT ARE THE LOCAL AND

GLOBAL BIODIVERSITY ISSUES?

Protecting biodiversity is vital for maintaining the viability and

attractiveness of tourism in destinations. While biodiversity

is the major attraction for tourists in some places, for all

destinations, biodiversity provides ecosystem services that

influence the overall health and quality of their environment.

While there are many highly qualified organisations driving

the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity in a

destination, in many cases these organisations are under-

resourced and under-staffed. In addition, public authorities

and communities may not be fully aware of the importance of

biodiversity in a destination, and may fail to make biodiversity

conservation and sustainable use a priority for the area.

By working with other partners, it is possible to raise the

profile of these issues and increase your hotel’s influence on

biodiversity conservation activities and protection outside your

hotel’s gates, thus contributing to maintaining the quality and

competitiveness of your destination.

WHAT CAN I DO:

Internally

• Organise activities with your staff to support environmental

associations, matching the staff’s skills and talents with the

destination’s needs.

• Provide your staff with information on local biodiversity and

ecosystems, and about the partners your hotel is working

with and their biodiversity protection activities.

• Organise and participate in campaigns to clean up local

habitats, such as beaches.

• Use your contribution of staff time and other resources

to leverage community interest and support for nature

conservation.

With my suppliers

• Promote their engagement by providing information about

the partners your hotel is working with and their biodiversity

protection activities.

• Explain to your suppliers that you want to set up

partnerships for biodiversity conservation and sustainable

use, and ask them how you can work together to put this

goal into practice.

Inpartnershipwithpublicauthoritiesandlocalorganisations

• Work with destination management organisations and local

authorities to:

- raise their awareness of the importance and value

of protecting biodiversity for the destination, its

communities and businesses;

- encourage them to designate and adequately manage

areas for biodiversity conservation (see Box 16);

- encourage them to support local businesses whose

products and services value biodiversity; and

- encourage the development and implementation of

voluntary practices and codes of conduct for hoteliers

that will contribute to the conservation of biodiversity and

natural landscapes in your destination.

• Support the projects of organisations and public authorities

that improve biodiversity and tourism at sites your guests

like to visit:

- Create opportunities for your guests to visit these

projects by helping them to make contact with key

decision makers in the private sector or government.

Participate in decision-making procedures relevant to

their projects and to those pertaining to planning and

development in your destination.

- Provide rooms and catering for meetings of local

conservation initiatives, space and catering for functions

to celebrate the success of local conservation initiatives,

and/or in-kind prizes (dinner, weekend stay in the hotel,

etc.) for lotteries and other fundraising activities.

- Assist with informal technical advice on marketing

and product development to help them set up tours to

generate revenue for their conservation activities.

- Offer training sessions on business skills, management

and accounting systems, and understanding of tourism

and hospitality.

- Provide direct financial support or suggest possible

funding sources, including local biodiversity management

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and conservation projects and environmental education

programmes in local schools and communities.

With my clients

• Provide information about the partnerships your hotel

supports, and about the partners that you are working with

(posters, brochures, web pages).

• Offer the option to your guests to visit projects your

hotel is supporting.

• Provide opportunities for guests who wish to make

donations to projects, for example by including an optional

donation to local biodiversity conservation activities as part

of their bills.

• Offer volunteer opportunities to guests who wish to

participate in activities linked to projects with your partners

or those that your hotel supports.

Activities and excursions offered at the tour desk

WHAT ARE THE LOCAL AND

GLOBAL BIODIVERSITY ISSUES?

Biodiversity is a vital asset for tourism destinations, as high-

quality natural surroundings are an important element for many

recreational activities. Well-managed tours to watch wildlife or

visit conservation projects in areas of high biodiversity value

(see Box 17) are a great attraction for your guests and one of

the fastest growing parts of the tourism sector. Tours can also

provide a valuable source of income that helps to protect wildlife.

But if sites for tourism activities are overcrowded and

damaged, the quality of the tourism experience is reduced.

Often in sensitive ecosystems, such as coral reefs, wetlands

or mountain areas above the tree-line, visits by tourists can

damage wildlife and biodiversity, if not properly managed. Even

modest numbers of tourists can cause disturbance to wildlife

and damage vegetation by trampling and erosion of paths. For

example, heavily used dive sites on coral reefs have fewer fish

and more signs of damage compared to other parts of reefs,

heavily used paths and ski areas in mountains show signs of

biodiversity damage, and poorly managed tourist activities in

deserts can have serious adverse impacts on the fragile and

sensitive desert ecosystem.

See TRAFFIC Factsheet 13 in Part III for more information on

activities and excursions.

WHAT CAN I DO:

Internally

• Ensure that any activities that are provided by your hotel are

well-managed in terms of protection of biodiversity, comply

with relevant local, national and international standards

(e.g. marine recreation standards or local regulations on

diving on coral reefs or around other sensitive sites), and

are conducted by fully trained staff who are able to monitor

the impacts of tourist activities. When in doubt about the

standards, consult local conservation authorities and NGOs.

• Appoint and train Biodiversity Information Focal Points

among your staff to provide first-hand information to your

clients (especially if you are adjacent to a natural area).

• Offer your guests up-to-date information on opportunities

for wildlife watching and visits to conservation projects,

protected areas, nature reserves, or areas of high

biodiversity value (see Box 17).

• Ask staff for their ideas on improving existing activities, or

possible new activities that you could offer.

With my suppliers

• Work with local tour agencies and operators to offer tours

and activities that are well-managed in terms of protection

of biodiversity, comply with relevant local, national and

international standards, and are conducted by fully

trained staff.

• Encourage small enterprises to increase their benefit from

tourism and sustainable use of biodiversity, by building local

businesses to develop sustainable production/harvesting of

biological resources that you use in your hotel and/or provide

tours for your guests (e.g. bird watching, nature treks).

Inpartnershipwithpublicauthoritiesandlocalorganisations

• Support tours developed and managed by community

organisations and local enterprises (e.g. bird watching,

nature treks).

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• Use qualified guides from local communities, and help

provide them with any training and/or equipment they may

need for working with tourist groups.

• Work with destination management organisations and local

authorities to ensure that regulations for wildlife watching

and nature-based tourism are disseminated by all hotels and

other service providers in the destination.

• Work with organisations offering nature-based activities to

avoid overcrowding and overuse of sites, for example by

encouraging a greater diversity of activities and use of a

variety of sites.

With my clients

• Provide guests with information about local natural

resources and their value, and about the damage to natural

resources, such as coral reefs, birdlife and other biodiversity

that can be caused by diving, snorkelling and other

recreational activities.

• Recommend responsible providers of recreational activities,

and provide guidelines for how to practice these activities in

a responsible way.

• Provide information on environmentally sustainable

behaviour that can allow guests to minimise their adverse

impacts on natural environments and wildlife, such as

codes of conduct for whale watching, snorkelling or diving.

Produce cards illustrating best practices in recreational

activities such as trekking, snorkelling and turtle watching,

and offer waterproof scuba cards to enhance the experience

of your guests’ dives (see http://www.coral.org).

• Ensure trained guides are available to help guests

appreciate local biodiversity, and require that guests be

accompanied by guides in sensitive areas.

• Develop ad hoc interpretation programmes that will help

your clients better understand the value of biodiversity at

the local level.

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The low-cost hotel chain Etap Hotel

and the French bird protection

association Ligue pour la Protection

des Oiseaux (LPO), have formed a

partnership with a common goal:

to raise awareness about nature

conservation.

LPO is a French association whose

main missions are the restoration and

conservation of the natural heritage,

and environmental education and

awareness-raising, in particular

through activities aimed at discovering

nature. They saw Etap Hotels, with its

280 hotels, 2,500 collaborators and 8

million customers per year in France,

as a powerful lever with which to

reach a larger number of people. Etap

Hotel, meanwhile, sought to meet the

expectations of customers who are

becoming increasingly aware of and

interested in the discovery of their

natural heritage.

In 2006, a partnership agreement

was signed, and by 2007, more than

50 percent of the hotel network had

joined forces with LPO. A target of 70

percent participation was set for 2008.

More specifically, each hotel involved

in this partnership becomes a

corporate benefactor member of the

local LPO group. In return, the hotel

benefits from a series of services

aimed at educating their clients, staff

and children, including awareness-

raising documents to display in

hotel rooms and communal areas,

a subscription to l’Oiseau magazine

and Rapaces de France, two of the

association’s publications, educational

games for children, and guides for

locally organised nature trips.

Moreover, each hotel is free to carry

out other individual actions with

its local LPO branch. For example,

birdwatching trips during peak

migration periods are organised in

the Bay of the Somme, and in some

hotels in urban areas the installation of

nest boxes has favoured the return of

the common swift. Finally, the creation

of a “nature area” in the hotel with

bird songs playing as background

music and posters of fauna and

flora enhance the atmosphere of the

establishment, whilst at the same time

performing a civic-minded function.

In 2007, increasing their involvement,

Etap Hotel decided to support six of

LPO’s bird rescue centres by donating

0.30 euro from each breakfast ordered

at their hotels for two weeks. This

action provided the opportunity for

hotel collaborators and their families

to visit the rescue centres, learn about

their missions, and participate in the

releasing of birds that had been treated

and were ready to return to the wild.

JeanHentz

SustainableDevelopment

Coordinator

EtapHotel-Formule1

www.accor.com

Birds, the new guests at Etap Hotels

Box 16: Sustainable tourism guidelines

The links between tourism and biodiversity have been

recognized by the Convention on Biological Diversity

since 2004. The CBD Guidelines on Biodiversity and

Tourism Development (http://www.cbd.int/tourism/

guidelines.shtml) summarize the requirements for a

biodiversity-friendly tourism operation, from planning

to management, and from impact assessment to

community relations and reporting. The guidelines

consist of 12 steps for the adequate planning of tourism

facilities and products, and can be used as a checklist

(the Convention’s website “Biodiversity and Tourism

Network” allows you to check your performance

along the 35 main action items using a survey – see

http://tourism.cbd.int/survey.shtml ) or as a reference,

particularly in dealing with legal, institutional and

community relations. As the guidelines are more general

in scope, the CBD has developed a User’s Manual that

explains how the principles can be applied to tourism

and facility development (http://tourism.cbd.int/).

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Box 17: Areas of high biodiversity value

Protected areas: A protected area is defined by

IUCN (1994) as ‘an area of land and/or sea especially

dedicated to the protection and maintenance of

biological diversity, and of natural and associated

cultural resources, and managed through legal or

other effective means’. Protected areas are classified

according to their management objectives in six

categories and, with the exception of Category I (Areas

of Strict Protection), all protected areas allow for

recreation and tourism, mainly ecotourism; therefore

effective visitor management is vital to conserve these

sites. UNEP’s World Conservation Monitoring Centre

(WCMC) maintains a global list of over 100,000 national

protected areas. In addition, some local communities,

individuals or companies may set aside protected areas

for biodiversity conservation. http://cms.iucn.org/about/union/commissions/wcpa/wcpa_work/wcpa_strategic/wcpa_science/wcpa_categories/index.cfm http://www.unep-wcmc.org/protected_areas/ http://www.unep-wcmc.org/wdpa/

ImportantBirdAreas: An Important Bird Area (IBA)

is an area that has globally important habitat for the

conservation of populations of birds, for example

habitats that sustain a population of an internationally

threatened species, or house large numbers or

concentrations of migratory birds, shorebirds or

seabirds, or which support a significant number of bird

species with restricted distributions. As of 2009, there

were nearly 11,000 IBAs in some 200 countries and

territories worldwide, and in the Caribbean region, 283

IBAs had been identified, these varying in size from

Bayfield Pond and East Point Pond in Barbados -both

with only 1 ha- to 530,695 ha in Ciénega de Zapata in

Cuba. Other examples worldwide are Tubbataha Reef in

The Philippines, Royal Chitwan National Park in Nepal,

and the Camargue in France. The IBA programme is

run by BirdLife International and national conservation

organisations in countries where IBAs are established.http://www.birdlife.org/action/science/sites/index.html http://www.audubon.org/bird/iba/index.html

ImportantPlantAreas: Important Plant Areas (IPAs)

are the plant equivalent of IBAs. They form a network

of the best natural or semi-natural sites for wild plants,

fungi and their habitats around the world, designed

to ensure the long-term survival of these sites. IPAs

are selected according to international and regional

guidelines based on three criteria: threatened species,

species richness/diversity and threatened habitats. The

IPA programme in Europe is coordinated by Plantlife

International, which is also a lead partner with IUCN in

coordinating Target 5 of the Global Strategy for Plant

Conservation. As of 2010, there were 1,771 IPAs

across Europe, and further IPAs are being established

in various places, such as Lebanon, New Zealand,

the ASEAN region, Southern Africa, Cameroon,

Morocco, parts of the Himalayas, the Americas, and

the Caribbean. A recent research project into identifying

and conserving IPAs in the Caribbean, resulted in the

identification of six IPAs in Turks & Caicos Islands.

These are only preliminary sites, but this study has

great potential for stimulating further IPA identification in

many environments with similar data availability issues.

Concerning Mexico, the area of these priority plant

sites covers 39% of the country, with 17% considered

as a high priority (Mexico has also adopted a National

Strategy for Plant Conservation).

http://www.plantlife.org.uk/international/plantlife-ipas-about.htm

WetlandsofInternationalImportance

(Ramsar sites): Wetlands of International Importance

are sites that have been designated for conservation

in accordance with the International Convention on

Wetlands, signed in Ramsar, Iran, in 1971. Currently

there are 1,932 Ramsar wetland sites, totalling almost

188 million hectares. Wetlands like the Everglades in the

U.S., Lake Titicaca in Bolivia/Peru, Inagua National Park

in Bahamas, Ciénega de Zapata in Cuba, and Cozumel

in Mexico, are popular destinations for tourists.http://www.ramsar.org/index_list.htm

WorldHeritageSites: Each World Heritage Site

is designated by UNESCO (The United Nations

Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation) and

the relevant country as forming part of the world’s

outstanding universal cultural and natural heritage.

As of 2010, there were 704 cultural, 180 natural

and 27 mixed World Heritage Sites in 151 countries.

Natural examples include the Serengeti National Park

in Tanzania, the Galapagos Islands of Ecuador, the

Great Barrier Reef in Australia, Tikal National Park in

Guatemala, Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System, and

Sian Ka’an in Mexico. http://whc.unesco.org/en/

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Six Senses is an international luxury

resort and spa group. Some of their

establishments are located in the

Maldives, where the conservation

and quality of the marine environment

are essential for the future of

local populations and the tourist

industry alike.

In partnership with other resorts in

the region, Six Senses began the

“Baa Atoll” project in mid-2007,

in order to find ways of improving

environmental protection and the

well-being of local communities.

The project addresses many issues,

including the protection of manta rays,

night fishing, the minimum size of fish

authorised for harvesting, and damage

to the seabed caused by anchors.

The project also discourages activities

that are liable to disturb species in

their natural habitat, such as turtle or

dolphin watching tours in the breeding

areas and during breeding periods.

Even for educational purposes, these

activities can endanger the animals

and put their survival at risk.

Within all these activities, priority is

given to the protection of sharks,

whose populations worldwide have

declined dramatically over the last few

years. Intensive hunting is dramatically

reducing shark populations in our

oceans, where the disappearance of

this large predator would endanger

the balance of the entire marine

ecosystem. The project’s main

objective is to achieve a total ban on

shark fishing in the Atoll and in the

Maldives.

Six Senses and its partners ban

tourist activities such as big game

fishing and hunting in their resorts,

report operators who offer tourists

these activities and support decision-

makers to create and implement

relevant legislation.

In order to raise customer awareness

and support the group’s advocacy

activities, customers, partner agencies

and tour operators are given model

letters to send to the local authorities

and government about this serious

problem, demanding that they ban

recreational shark hunting. Customers

and tourism promoters can thus send

a strong message from the resorts to

the political decision-makers in the

Atoll and the Maldives.

JuergenE.Seidel

Group Director of Property

Maintenance, Engineering &

Innovation

SixSensesResorts&Spas

www.sixsenses.com

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Since 2007, Accor Austria has been

working on a bat conservation project

in collaboration with a biologist.

Although bats are often maligned and

misunderstood, they are actually very

useful animals that, for example, eat

mosquitoes. There are 25 species

of bat in Austria, but their future is

threatened by urban sprawl, which

encroaches on their natural habitat.

Accor Austria’s staff thus chose to

try to help these animals. Each hotel

undertook to build a wooden bat

shelter, a ‘bat hotel’. The building

teams then went off into a forest

on the outskirts of town to erect

the boxes in trees, in areas visited

by these bats. A few months later,

the project’s biologist reported that

several of these shelters were already

inhabited by bats.

In 2008, staff volunteers (around six

or seven staff members per hotel)

were invited to participate in a day

of discovery exploring caves in local

forests. This fun day centred around

a picnic, where children were also

welcome. It was thus an opportunity

to learn more about the bats’ natural

habitat and also to clean the “bat

hotels” that were erected in 2007.

This inexpensive operation was

financed by Accor Hospitality.

Although it was an internal project,

independent of hotel customers,

details of the project were published

in the local press.

Elisabeth Dissauer

GM of Mercure Wien City and

SustainableDevelopmentManager

Accor Austria

www.accor.com

Accor Austria and its bat hotels

As part of Accor’s sustainable

development policy, Ibis hotels

obtained ISO 14001 environmental

management certification in 2004.

Following this, Ibis France signed

a partnership agreement with the

Fondation Nicolas Hulot for Nature

and Mankind in 2007.

Likewise, the 21 Ibis hotels in the

Centre-Val-de-Loire Region regularly

organise joint action and awareness-

raising days for hotel staff. At each

meeting, two employees per hotel are

chosen. They gather information and

participate in environmental protection

activities, and are responsible for

passing on information to the rest of

the staff in their hotel on their return.

After a clean-up of the banks of the

Loire River in 2005, a local event was

organised to clean up a beach in

the Vendée in 2006, in collaboration

with a local environmental protection

group. This kind of event requires

a budget of 3,000 euros, excluding

the participants’ travelling expenses,

which are paid for by the different

hotels.

Situated on a nature reserve, the

beach is a breeding site for several

animal species. Although the dunes

are inaccessible by car, the result of

the day’s clean-up showed that the

pollution of protected areas is a real

problem. The association opened

the event with a 30-minute talk on

the area in question, the precautions

that should be taken and the fragility

of the environment. At the end of the

day, the 40 participants had collected

two tonnes of rubbish: cigarettes,

plastic bags, glass bottles and even a

washing machine.

LaurentGuerre-Genton

Manager

HotelIbisBloisValléeMaillard

www.accor.com

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55

Photos © Peter Peer

In April 2008, Accor confirmed its

sustainable development commitment

by committing to the ‘Plant for the

Planet: Billion Tree Campaign’. The

initiative, which was launched by

the United Nations Environment

Programme under the sponsorship

of Prince Albert II of Monaco and

Wangari Maathai, winner of the 2004

Nobel Peace Prize, planted more than

1.6 billion trees in 2007.

Accor aims to engage both hotel

operators and customers in this

innovative global reforestation project.

Through the project, the hotels pledge

to finance tree planting projects with

the money that they save on laundry

costs when guests keep their bath

towels for more than one night.

To support the project, Accor is

offering special training for floor staff.

With the assistance of a large number

of housekeepers from different hotels

across all the brands, an educational

film was made to present the

importance of reforestation for local

communities, while also explaining

the programme and presenting new

practices for dealing with bath towels.

A campaign to build awareness

among customers is also planned.

Customers are encouraged to take

part in the programme through a new

message posted in their bathrooms:

“Here, YOUR towels plant trees.”

Following a pilot phase that has

involved all brands on all continents,

this project is financing the planting of

three million trees by the end of 2012.

Accor hotels in 100 countries will

take part in projects in seven of the

world’s forest regions, working closely

with seven associations chosen

for their ability to manage planting

programmes that are particularly

relevant for environmental protection

and biodiversity preservation, while

also developing local business

opportunities.

These projects include planting

programmes in key regions such as

Brazil, Indonesia or Senegal. As for

the latter, Accor is teaming up with

SOS Sahel in the area of Niayes:

the project is to plant small trees on

dunes to prevent them from drifting

over nearby cultivated lands with the

wind. Overall, 300.000 trees are to be

planted within 3 years, hence preserving

a strategic farm area of Senegal.

HélèneRoques

Director,SustainableDevelopment

Accor

www.accor.com

Accor commits to the ‘Plant for the Planet’ programme

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Part III: TRAFFIC Recommends – Factsheets on the sustainable use of biological resources

The following 13 factsheets were developed as part of this

project by TRAFFIC, the wildlife trade monitoring network, to

guide hoteliers in making sustainable and responsible choices of

products and services based on biological resources.

The purchase of wild animal and plant products—whether for

food, tonics, medicine, timber, clothing, ornaments or pets—can

have a significant conservation impact. While legal trade in

many species exists, reliable tracking systems often don’t exist.

Thus, illegally sourced products from protected wild populations

can filter into the market and become indistinguishable from

legal ones. Hotel buyers can have a major influence, both

positive and negative, on the supply and demand of wildlife

products. The information in these factsheets will help buyers to

think carefully before buying and, therefore, avoid contributing

to illegal or detrimental trade in wildlife. Also see Appendix 4 to

get general tips on promoting sustainable purchases of wildlife

products. If you are in doubt about the legality of a product,

simply do not buy it.

While the information presented in these factsheets was

believed correct at the time of going to press in 2012, it may

have changed since then. Hoteliers are advised to check local

and international regulations and recommendations on the

products discussed here, as appropriate. A useful point of

contact is the national CITES management authority (contact

details of the Caribbean CITES management authorities can be

found in Appendix 3 of this Guide, and at http://www.cites.org/

cms/index.php/lang-en/component/cp/ together with all CITES

authorities –including the Scientific and Law Enforcement ones-

worldwide). The National CITES management authority provides

information on species traded internationally, and should be able

to advise on where to find out about domestic regulations.

What is the wildlife trade?

Wildlife trade is any sale or exchange of wild animal and plant

resources by people. This can involve live animals and plants

or a diverse range of products needed or prized by humans—

including skins, medicinal ingredients, tourist curios, timber, fish

and other food products. Most wildlife trade is probably within

national borders, but there is a large volume of wildlife in trade

internationally.

Why is wildlife traded?

Wildlife is traded for many reasons, including:

• Food: Fruits, mushrooms, nuts, leaves and tubers are

particularly important resources for sustaining livelihoods in

many rural areas. Wild animals (including fish) contribute at

least a fifth of the animal protein in rural diets in more than

60 countries. A TRAFFIC study demonstrated that reliance

on wild meat is growing in Eastern and Southern Africa, in

response to increased human populations and poverty.

• Fuel: Trees and plants are an important source of fuel for

cooking and heating, especially in rural areas.

• Fodder: Fodder is considered a very important non-wood

forest product in arid regions of Asia and Africa.

• Buildingmaterials: These range from timber for furniture and

housing to ingredients in manufacturing processes, such as

gums and resins.

• Clothingandornaments: These include leather, furs,

feathers.

• Sport: Wildlife is collected for sports ranging from falconry to

trophy hunting.

• Healthcare: Wildlife provides everything from herbal remedies

and traditional medicines to ingredients for industrial

pharmaceuticals. An estimated 80 percent of the world’s

population relies on traditional medicines for primary health

care.

• Religion: Many animals and plants or derivatives are used for

religious purposes.

• Collections: Many wildlife specimens and curios are collected

by museums and private individuals.

A note about fisheries and certification schemes

Factsheets 1-6 in this section discuss various fish and

seafood products. For each type of product, TRAFFIC

recommends which species to choose and which to

be wary of when making purchasing decisions. Much

of this information includes not only Caribbean data,

but also from Europe and the North Atlantic because

information from these regions is more readily available.

Hotels and buyers elsewhere should try and find out as

much as possible about the sources and methods of

harvesting or farming products that are available, and

then use the general guidance in the seafood factsheets

to make their choices.

Whilst every effort has been made to give clear and

practical advice, the choice of which species to buy

or not is often a complex one. Some species may

be subject to local protection, or may have particular

seasons when they can be harvested—this applies

particularly to some shellfish species. Hoteliers should

therefore try to find out from their suppliers, or other

sources, if and when such restrictions apply. Equally

important is to ensure that suppliers are reputable and

can vouch for the source and identity of their wares. By

asking relevant questions and challenging suppliers over

the origin of their goods, buyers can have a significant

influence over how such products are ultimately sourced.

For many species, the factsheets also include

references to different certifications or rankings from

several fisheries rating systems. These schemes, and

their ranking systems, are presented here, to help you

better understand what each label means.

WWF

WWF, TRAFFIC’s joint programme partner (alongside

IUCN) helps promote sustainable fishing and seafood

supplies. In 1996 WWF together with Unilever, one of

the world’s biggest buyers of frozen fish, successfully

established the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC)

to change the way fish are caught, marketed and

bought. MSC is now a global non-profit organisation

working with fisheries, seafood companies, scientists,

conservation groups and the public to promote the best

environmental choice in seafood (more information on

MSC provided below). Using methodology developed

together with the Seafood Choices Alliance

(www.seafoodchoices.com/), WWF has created

information guides on which fish species to buy, which

buyers are encouraged to consult: (www.panda.org)

These include a guide by WWF Hong Kong which aims

to provide credible information on the environmental

impact of consuming seafood commonly available

in Hong Kong and South China, a region which is

otherwise poorly covered by seafood guides.

Marine Conservation Society (MCS)

The MCS Sustainable Seafood Guide (www.fishonline.

org) allows users to search by the name of the fish

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they are interested in. Each fish is given a rating based

on its stock status, fisheries management and the

environmental impacts of the fishing methods used.

There are also lists of species to avoid and species to

eat. Each species is given a rating from 1 to 5:

• Rating1isawardedtothemostsustainablyproduced

seafood;

• Ratings2,3and4indicateincreasingcausefor

concern; and

• Rating5isgiventofishtobeavoided.

Marine Stewardship Council (MSC)

The MSC (www.msc.org) is an independent, global,

non-profit organisation that awards certification to

sustainable and well-managed fisheries that meet their

rigorous environmental standard. The MSC works with

fisheries, retailers, and other stakeholders to identify,

certify, and promote responsible, environmentally

appropriate, socially beneficial, and economically viable

fishing practices around the world, while maintaining the

bio-diversity, productivity and ecological processes of the

marine environment. MSC’s key activities are:

1. to produce and maintain a fisheries certification

standard (The Marine MSC Principles and Criteria For

Sustainable Fishing);

2. to operate an accreditation programme for third

party, independent certification bodies offering

certification against the MSC fisheries standard;

3. to provide a logo scheme that demonstrates to the

fish consumer that fish and fish products carrying that

logo come from a certified sustainable source; and

4. to develop an education programme in order to

raise awareness of fisheries issues and the impact of

fishing on the wider marine environment.

Latin American and Caribbean countries are significant

exporters of fish and the MSC has begun to work

with a number of the region’s fisheries as they explore

certification under the MSC standard. As additional

fisheries become certified, it will enhance the opportunity

for Latin American and Caribbean seafood commercial

sectors – processors, packagers, distributors, suppliers,

retail stores and foodservice outlets – to incorporate MSC

certified seafood into their supply chains and present

MSC-labelled sustainable seafood to their end consumers.

Monterrey Bay Aquarium (MBA)

MBA’s Seafood Watch (www.mbayaq.org/cr/

seafoodwatch.asp) allows users to search by the name

of a fish to determine its sustainability. The initiative also

publishes regional seafood guides that rank species

according to three levels:

• Bestchoices;

• Goodalternatives;and

• Avoid.

62

The primary motivating factor for wildlife traders is economic,

from small-scale local income generation to major profit-oriented

business, such as marine fisheries and logging companies.

Between collectors of wildlife and the ultimate users, any number

of middlemen may be involved in the wildlife trade, including

specialists involved in storage, handling, transport, manufacturing,

industrial production, marketing and the export and retail

businesses. In fact, most of us are involved in wildlife trade in

some way, even if it is just as end consumers of wildlife products.

Scale

The wildlife trade involves hundreds of millions of individual

plants and animals from tens of thousands of species. Timber

and seafood are the most important categories of international

wildlife trade, in terms of both volume and value. According to

the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO),

more than 145 million tonnes of fish were caught in 2008, from

which 38 % (i.e., 55 million tonnes; www.aquafeed.co.uk)

were traded internationally, and, in 2007, international trade

of forest products was worth US$257 billion (www.fao.org),

giving an average annual growth of 6.6% throughout the last

20 years. In 2009, FAO estimated more than US$100 billion of

fish were traded and nearly US$200 billion timber. To put this

into perspective, in the same year, the global trade value of tea,

coffee and spices all together was US$24.3 billion.

TRAFFIC estimates that from 2000–2005, 3.4 million lizard

skins, 2.9 million crocodile skins and 3.4 million snake skins, all

species listed under CITES, were imported into the EU, along

with 300,000 live snakes for the pet trade. In 2004 alone, the EU

imported more than 10 million cubic metres of tropical timber

from Africa, South America and Asia, worth US$1.9 billion.

Currently, it is estimated that 70,000 species of plants are used

for medicinal purposes alone. Additionally, approximately 25%

of ‘modern’ pharmacy medicines have been developed based

on the medicinal properties of wild species. Little is known

about the status of many of these species, although those that

have been assessed show a concerning picture (TRAFFIC,

2011). International trade in species of conservation concern

is monitored by CITES. From 2005 - 2009, CITES recorded

an annual average of more than 317,000 live birds, just over 2

million live reptiles, 2.5 million crocodilian skins, 1.5 million lizard

skins, 2.1 million snake skins, 73 tonnes of caviar, 1.1 million

coral pieces and nearly 20,000 hunting trophies.

Value

There is a huge trade in wildlife goods world-wide, with China,

the United States and the European Union making up the

majority of the global consumer market. Trade is international

and domestic, with large volumes of the latter particularly

within developing nations. The European Union (EU) tops the

list for major importer by value for many wild animal and plant

products, including tropical timber, caviar, reptile skins and live

reptiles. The legal trade of wildlife products into the EU alone

was worth an estimated €100 billion in 2009.

In the early 1990s, TRAFFIC estimated the value of legal wildlife

products imported globally to be around US$160 billion per

year. Others have estimated that legal wood product exports in

1999 were more than US$132 billion and legal seafood exports

in 1998 around US$50 billion. In 2009, the estimated value of

global imports was over US$323 billion.

By the very nature of the illegal wildlife trade, it is almost

impossible to obtain reliable figures, but it is estimated that

totals run into the hundreds of millions of dollars. The value of

illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fisheries alone has

been estimated as between US$10-23 billion per year (MRAG

& FERR, 2008), while the value of the illegal international timber

trade has been estimated as US$7 billion per year, and the illegal

wildlife trade, excluding timber and fisheries as US$7.8-10 billion

per year (GFI, 2011). According to the Interpol Working Group on

Wildlife Crime, illegal trafficking in wildlife is linked to violence,

corruption, fraud, smuggling, conspiracy, robbery, health

violations, drug trafficking and weapons trafficking. There is also

significant money laundering and tax evasion involved.

Problems

As human populations have grown, so has the demand for

wildlife. People in developed countries have become used to

a lifestyle that fuels demand for wildlife; they expect to have

access to a variety of seafoods, leather goods, timbers,

medicinal ingredients, textiles, etc. Conversely, extreme poverty

of others means they regard wildlife as a means to meet their

short-term needs and will trade it for whatever they can get.

Over-exploitationofwildlifeisamajorconcern:

• Wildlife is vital to a high proportion of the world’s population.

People depend directly on wildlife for consumption and as a

way of earning cash. However, irresponsible wildlife trade is

threatening this resource, and those most affected tend to be

the poorest people, in developing nations.

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• Illegal wildlife trade causes additional problems. The species

traded are often already highly threatened and in danger of

extinction, conditions under which wildlife is transported

are often appalling, operators are unscrupulous and do not

care how they damage the environment (for example they

use cyanide to kill fish, or log in protected areas), and illegal

trade undermines nations’ efforts to manage their natural

resources sustainably and causes massive economic losses

in lost earnings.

• The introduction of invasive species that prey upon or

out-compete native species is a major cause of recent

extinctions. Wildlife traders have purposely introduced many

invasive species, such as American Mink, Red-eared Terrapin

and many plant species.

Hotspots

Areas where wildlife trade is particularly threatening are known

as “wildlife trade hotspots.” These include China’s international

borders, trade hubs in East/Southern Africa and Southeast Asia,

the eastern borders of the European Union, some markets in

Mexico, parts of the Caribbean, parts of Indonesia and New

Guinea, and the Solomon Islands. In the Caribbean for example,

the Dominican Republic (until recently) had one of the largest

open illegal markets for sea turtle parts, mostly turtle shell

products for sale to cruise ship tourists. Research and support

from TRAFFIC assisted the government of the Dominican

Republic in shutting down much of the illegal market.

64

Tuna are large oceanic fish in the family Scombridae. They

are seasonally migratory, travelling hundreds of miles and

sometimes making trans-oceanic journeys. They may

be found in variable numbers in almost every temperate,

sub-tropical or tropical waters. Compared to some fishes,

tuna are late to mature and can reach ages of 10-25 years,

depending on the species. Blue-fin tuna are slower growing

than the smaller albacore, skipjack and yellow-fin tunas.

An adult Atlantic blue-fin can be more than 2 m long and

weigh 500 kg. All commercially important tunas need warm

water to breed, although several species are warm-blooded,

enabling them to live in cooler waters. They are fast

swimmers and, unlike most fish whose flesh is white, tuna

flesh is pink to dark red.

Tuna fisheries include both low-value (less than US$1/kg),

high-volume fisheries that supply the canneries, and high-

value (more than US$500/kg), low-volume fisheries that

specialize in fresh tuna. There are seven commercially fished

species, including:

• Southern blue-fin (Thunnus maccoyii): Found in

temperate and cold seas of the southern hemisphere,

these fish migrate to the tropics to spawn. They are

fished mainly by Japan, Korea, Australia and New

Zealand, and consumed mainly by Japan.

• Pacific northern blue-fin (Thunnus orientalis):

Found mainly in subtropical regions of the north

Pacific Ocean, this species is both fished and

consumed mainly by Japan.

• Northern or Atlantic blue-fin (Thunnus thynnus): This

species is found in the northern half of the Atlantic

Ocean, the Mediterranean and the southern Black Sea.

• Big-eye (Thunnus obesus): Also known as Ahi, Po’onui,

Patudo, this is a tropical and subtropical species with

separate stocks in the Atlantic, Indian, Western and

Central Pacific, and Eastern Pacific Oceans.

• Albacore (Thunnus alalunga): Also known as Tombo,

canned white tuna, longfin tunny, and albacora, this is a

highly migratory fish found in all oceans but less common

in the tropics. It is available as canned “white” tuna and

fresh and frozen.

• Skipjack (Euthynnus or Katsuwonus pelamis): Found

throughout the world’s tropical and warm temperate

waters, catches of this species account for half the

annual global tuna supply. Also marketed as aku, canned

light tuna, arctic bonito, striped tuna, these fish may be

mixed with other species when processed. It is most

often sold as canned light tuna (much of which is caught

by purse seine), but is sometimes sold fresh and frozen.

• Yellow-fin (Thunnus albacares): Found throughout

the world’s tropical and subtropical seas, except the

Mediterranean, this species is also marketed as ahi

when fresh and frozen, and canned light tuna. It is the

main species for canning and is caught mainly by purse

seine fleets.

Conservation issues

All commercially fished species of tuna are listed on the

IUCN Red List:

• Northern or Atlantic blue-fin (Endangered);

• Southern blue-fin (Critically Endangered);

• Big-eye (Vulnerable); and

Yellow-fin and albacore tuna are considered Near

Threatened, and the rest are listed as Least Concern.

Several conservation issues affect all seven commercially

fished tuna species, principally:

Overfishing: World catches of tuna have doubled in the last

decade. All species, except some stocks of skipjack, are

considered fully exploited, over-exploited or depleted. The

popularity of sashimi and sushi is one cause of overfishing,

especially of the three species of blue-fin tuna (also known

as kuromaguro, atun de aleta azul, thon rouge and horse

mackerel), which are the most valuable fish in the world.

Overfishing is made worse by the fact that juvenile tunas

(e.g. big-eye) are often caught as by-catch in the purse

seine fisheries targeted for adult tuna. The long-term effects

on marine ecosystems of removing large fish such as tuna

are not fully understood.

By-catch of non-target species: There are three main

fishing methods for catching tuna: purse seine, pole and

line, and long-line (which is widely used in the Caribbean).

TRAFFIC RECOMMENDS

Factsheet 1: Tuna

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Other methods include troll lines, hand lines and driftnets.

In a few high-value fisheries, traditional methods are still

used, for example Atlantic blue-fin tunas are taken in traps

in the Mediterranean and east Atlantic, and by harpoons

off the coast of North America. The level of by-catch varies

according to the gear type:

• Long-line fishing, which is the most common method

for catching albacore, big-eye and blue-fin, results in

the by-catch of sharks, sea turtles, billfish and seabirds.

International long-line fleets are contributing heavily to

the long-term decline of some of these threatened or

endangered species. The U.S. Atlantic and Hawaiian

long-liner fleets are subject to strict by-catch regulations.

• Purse-seining, which is used for several species, is

particularly damaging if tuna schools are targeted

by encircling dolphins on the surface in order to net

tuna (particularly large yellow-fin) that tend to school

beneath them. Both dolphins and tuna are caught in the

nets, which in the past has killed millions of dolphins.

This practice has been much reduced (see ‘dolphin-

safe tuna’ below), but purse seine nets may still catch

large amounts of by-catch, although the technique of

slackening nets to allow dolphins to escape reduces

the problem. If they are set on floating objects or ‘fish

aggregating devices’ (FADs), the by-catch can include

young big-eye and yellow-fin tuna, and other pelagic fish

and sharks.

• Hook and line, pole and line, harpoon, and trap fishing

have very little by-catch. For example, albacore is fished

either by trolling with artificial lures on or near the surface

and with pole and line, or by using bait to attract the fish,

which are then hooked with a jigging pole off the stern

and landed individually. Barbless hooks are used, and the

lack of nets ensures the fishery is ‘dolphin free’.

Management problems: Although individual countries are

responsible for managing tuna stocks that occur and are

fished within their own waters, much tuna fishing takes

place on the high seas, where it is managed by regional

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fisheries management organisations (RFMOs). In practice,

however, the advice of these RFMOs is sometimes

disregarded. Japan, for example, has caught double its

quota of Southern blue-fin tunas for the last 20 years and

some Mediterranean countries appear to have disregarded

quotas, too.

Sea-ranching: The migratory, fast swimming life-style

of tuna means that they are not suitable for farming.

However, sea ranching is carried out for blue-fin tuna in

the Mediterranean, Mexico and Australia. This involves

fattening wild caught fish in floating cages for a few

months to two years. The technique has had significant

management issues, with environmental problems and an

increase in fishing effort, leading to calls for a moratorium

on the practice and better enforcement of minimum size for

catches of juvenile tuna.

Species to choose

Albacore:

• American Albacore Fishing Association (AAFA) pole and

line and troll fisheries in the North and South Pacific.

Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certified in 2007.

• British Columbia (troll/pole) and Hawaii (troll/pole/hand-

line/long-line). MBA ranking: Best choice.

• South Pacific stock (troll). MCS rating: 2 (cause for concern)

Big-eye:

• Worldwide (troll/pole/line). MBA ranking: Good alternative.

• US Atlantic (troll/pole and line). MBA ranking: Best choice

– although the Marine Conservation Society (MCS) rates

the Atlantic stock (troll) fishery 4, or cause for concern

because populations have not still recovered after

depletion due to longline fisheries.

Skipjack:

• Pole and line, and troll fisheries worldwide. MBA ranking:

Best choice – although the Marine Conservation Society

(MCS) rates this fishery 2, or cause for concern (except

for pole and line in the Indian Ocean stock, which is rated

3, or cause for concern).

• Hawaii, hand-line. MBA ranking: Best choice.

• Hawaii, long-line. MBA ranking: Good alternative (due to

strict by-catch regulations).

Yellow-fin:

• Pacific and U.S. Atlantic Ocean, pole and troll. MBA

ranking: Best choice.

• U.S. Atlantic Ocean and Hawaii, long-line. MBA ranking:

Good alternative.

• Pole and troll worldwide. MBA ranking: Good alternative

– although MCS rates this fishery 3, or cause for concern

(and 4 for the Indian Ocean stock).

• Hawaii, hand-line. MBA ranking: Good alternative - the

Marine Conservation Society (MCS) rates this fishery 3, or

cause for concern.

‘Dolphin-safe or –friendly’ canned skipjack,

albacore and yellow-fin:

This is tuna caught using methods that do not involve

the deliberate hunting, capture and death of dolphins,

e.g. trolling, pole or hand-line, or with purse seine nets,

according to a strict set of standards including:

• No intentional chasing, netting or encirclement of

dolphins;

• No use of drift gill nets to catch tuna;

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• No accidental killing or serious injury to any dolphins

during net sets;

• No mixing of dolphin-safe with other tuna in individual

boat wells, or in processing or storage facilities; and

• Fishing trips in the eastern tropical Pacific Ocean by

vessels of a certain size to have an independent observer

on board.

Purse seine fisheries for skipjack and yellow-fin tuna

in the Atlantic:

Low levels of by-catch and low interaction with marine

turtles and marine mammals.

Species of particular concern

• Northern or Atlantic Blue-fin: Whilst individuals caught

legally and over 30 kg in size may be sustainable, it is

virtually impossible for consumers to know if that was

the case prior to filleting and processing. MCS rating: 5

(avoid); MBA ranking: Avoid.

• Southern Blue-fin: MCS rating: 5 (avoid); MBA ranking:

Avoid.

• Pacific Northern Blue-fin: MCS rating: 5 (avoid); MBA

ranking: Avoid.

• Farmed or ranched blue-fin tunas: Farming of these

species relies on capture of juveniles from the wild. MCS

rating: 5 (avoid); MBA ranking: Avoid.

• Long-line caught Big-eye: MCS rating: from 3 to 5

depending on the stock; 5 (Avoid) referring to the Western

and Central Pacific stock, 4 to the Atlantic stock and 3 to the

Eastern Pacific ; MBA ranking: Avoid for all stocks except for

the U.S. Atlantic, which is considered a Good alternative.

• Long-line caught albacore in the South Pacific:

MBA ranking: Avoid. This fish is usually larger than

other albacore and its meat is pinkish red instead of

light brown. It is often marketed under its Hawai’ian name,

tombo or tombo ahi. MCS rates albacore from

the south Atlantic and Pacific (including Hawaii) as 3

(Cause for concern).

• Long-line caught skipjack and yellow-fin (except Hawaii

and U.S. Atlantic for both species): MBA ranking: Avoid.

(MCS rating for long-line yellowfin 4 and 5 for the Indian

Ocean stock; long-line skipjack not rated).

Environmental Defense, a U.S. non-governmental

organisation, has issued a health advisory for all long-line-

caught tuna, and for all canned tuna, due to elevated levels of

mercury. There is no health advisory for troll/pole-caught fish

as these involve younger tuna with lower mercury levels. For

more information, see www.oceansalive.org or www.edf.org

Sources of further information

Australia’s Sustainable Seafood Guide – available from the

Australian Marine Conservation Society:

http://www.amcs.org.au/

Blue Ocean Institute Guide to Ocean Friendly Seafood:

www.blueocean.org/seafood

Commission for the Conservation of Southern Blue-fin Tuna:

www.ccsbt.org

Earth Island Institute’s information on certified

“dolphin-friendly or -safe” tuna: www.earthisland.org/

dolphinSafeTuna/consumer/

Lack, M. (2007). With an eye to the future: addressing

failures in the global management of big-eye tuna. TRAFFIC

International and WWF Australia.

Marine Conservation Society’s Sustainable Seafood Guide:

www.fishonline.org

Marine Stewardship Council: http://eng.msc.org/

Monterrey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch: www.mbayaq.

org/cr/seafoodwatch.asp

Seafood Choices Alliance: www.seafoodchoices.com

WWF Seafood Guides – available for Belgium, Denmark,

Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Indonesia,

Netherlands, Norway, Poland, South Africa, Spain, Sweden,

Switzerland: http://www.panda.org/

While the information presented in this factsheet was

believed to be correct at the time of going to press in

2012, it may have changed since then. Hoteliers are

advised to check local and international regulations and

recommendations on the products discussed here.

68

Salmon spawn in fresh water rivers. The young migrate to

sea after one to three years and return after up to three

years at sea to spawn in their natal rivers.

Pacific salmon occur from California north along the Pacific

coast to the Bering Sea and Arctic Ocean waters adjacent to

Alaska, and throughout the far eastern waters of Russia and

Japan. There are five species of Pacific salmon:

• Chinook or king salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha):

The largest Pacific species, these fish weigh an

average of five-to-eight kg (11-18 pounds), live four to

nine years, and are found from the Yukon River in Alaska

to central California.

• Chum, dog or keta salmon (Oncorhynchus keta):

This species weighs an average of 3.5 kg (eight pounds),

and is found in Japan, Russia and along the Pacific coast

of North America from Washington state to Alaska. Large

quantities of these fish are exported from Russia to China

for processing.

• Coho or silver salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch):

This species, which averages 5.5 kg (12 pounds), is

caught from Oregon to Alaska and accounts for less than

10 percent of U.S. wild salmon catches in most years.

• Sockeye or red salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka):

These fish make up the second-largest, and most

valuable, wild salmon fishery in North America, with 75

percent of the global catch originating in Alaskan waters.

A major sockeye fishery in Russia supplies Japan and

other Asian countries.

• Pink salmon (Oncorhynchus gorbuscha):

The most abundant species, pink salmon usually account

for more than half of the U.S. commercial wild salmon

catch. Large quantities are exported from Russia to China

for processing.

TRAFFIC RECOMMENDS

Factsheet 2: Salmon

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The main commercial species of Atlantic salmon is Salmo

salar, which occurs throughout European waters.

There is a vast demand for salmon in Europe,

North America and the Far East, with Japan the largest

market. Commercial fishing of wild salmon takes place

mainly at sea, although sport fishing for salmon in rivers is

very popular.

About 60 percent of the global salmon market is farmed

(some 1.4 million metric tons annually). Norway, Chile and

the UK are the main producers, together accounting for 86

percent of all farmed salmon. About 89 percent of farmed

salmon is Atlantic salmon. Pacific salmon (mainly chinook

and coho) is farmed in Canada, Norway, the UK, Chile, the

U.S., and several Asian countries including Japan.

Conservation issues

The dependence of salmon on specific freshwater areas

makes them particularly vulnerable to habitat loss, which

is currently the primary threat to their survival. The gear

used at sea includes drift and set gillnets, purse seines, and

trolling gear (or hook-and-line gear), which rarely touch the

sea floor; these methods have low by-catch and cause little

habitat damage.

Pacific salmon: Populations of Pacific salmon have

declined dramatically due to overfishing and damage to their

freshwater and spawning and rearing habitats caused by

dam construction, deforestation and urban development.

Chinook, coho, sockeye and pink salmon stocks in California,

Oregon and Washington are significantly depleted, apart

from a few viable large runs. Salmon from different areas

are often caught at the same time, which complicates

management. Thus, in California and the Pacific Northwest,

there are some 30 locations called Evolutionarily Significant

Units (ESUs), where salmon are listed as Threatened or

Endangered under the U.S. Endangered Species Act and

thus may not be fished; however they are regularly caught

as they mix with or are found close to salmon from ‘healthy’

stocks. The northeast Pacific fisheries supply commercial

markets in Asia, Europe and North America.

Atlantic salmon: Stocks of Atlantic salmon are threatened

throughout much of their native range, due to habitat loss,

overfishing, pollution, aquaculture and impediments to

migration routes. Atlantic salmon is listed by the OSPAR

Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of

the North East Atlantic as a threatened and declining species.

Farmed salmon: Salmon hatcheries and farms have caused

environmental problems in many areas. Hatcheries may

be located in or near wild salmon runs, and escapes of

hatchery-reared fish can threaten wild stocks by competing

with them for food and spawning grounds. The impacts of

salmon farming include:

• Pollution from chemicals and excess nutrients from food

and waste that damage the seabed and its communities;

• The excessive use of antibiotics, antifoulants and

pesticides to control disease that spreads easily in farms

can subsequently negatively affect human health;

• Viruses and parasites transfer between farmed and wild

fish, and between farms;

• Escaped farmed salmon compete with wild fish and

interbreed with local wild stocks of the same population,

altering the overall pool of genetic diversity; and

• The use of fishmeal and fish oil from wild fish to feed

farmed salmon exacerbates overfishing; fishmeal and oil

currently represent one-third of the global fish harvest.

Species to choose

WILD CAUGHT

Pacific salmon (all five species) from Alaskan waters, U.S.:

Alaskan salmon fisheries comprise the vast majority of

U.S. Pacific salmon (over 50 percent is pink salmon, and

25 percent sockeye, with the remainder chum, coho and

chinook salmon). About 75 percent of the fresh or frozen

product is exported, mainly to Japan. Canned salmon goes

mainly to Europe and the U.S., while the fresh and smoked

product is becoming more widely available. Populations are

healthy, partly due to the comparatively pristine freshwater

systems in this state; they are also augmented by hatchery

operations. Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certified in

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2000, and recertified in 2007. MBA – Best Choice, MCS

2 (cause of concern). Note: there are concerns about the

long-term health of wild salmon populations in California,

Washington and Oregon. In particular, the chinook fishery

in California was closed in 2008 due to a recent population

crash (Californian chinook is marketed widely in California

and exported to other parts of the U.S., Japan, Germany

and the UK).

FARMED

MCS advises choosing Atlantic salmon certified by the Soil

Association – a membership charity in the U.K. campaigning

for planet-friendly food and farming- as organic, and/or

by the RSPCA/SSPCA (Royal/Sacramento Society for the

Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) Freedom Food labelling

scheme, which focuses on improving the welfare of farm

animals reared for food.

WWF advises choosing salmon from farms that:

• are located away from protected areas, important wild

salmon rivers, and other threatened wildlife;

• have a good history of preventing and minimizing the

impacts of escapes;

• have low levels of disease;

• minimize the use of antifouling chemicals through the

use of double nets and mechanical cleaning (followed by

water treatment) or cleaner fish/wrasse;

• fall under a traceability scheme;

• do not use fish meal/fish oil feed ingredients from

overexploited, depleted or recovering fish stocks; and

• use feed that maximizes the use of marine by-products

(i.e. overall compositions of fishmeal less than 35 percent,

fish oil less than 27 percent, and a feed conversion ratio

less than 1.15).

Species of particular concern

• Wild-caught Atlantic salmon: MCS rating: 5 (Avoid).

• Non-organic farmed Atlantic or Pacific salmon:

The MBA recommends avoiding farmed salmon in

general, but farmed salmon certified as organic or from

well-managed farms (see above) is considered a very

good choice.

Sources of further information

Australia’s Sustainable Seafood Guide – available from the

Australian Marine Conservation Society:

http://www.amcs.org.au

Blue Ocean Institute Guide to Ocean Friendly Seafood:

www.blueocean.org/seafood

Clarke, S. (2007). Trading tails: Russian Salmon fisheries

and East Asian markets. TRAFFIC East Asia.

Knapp, G., C. Roheim and J. Anderson. 2007. The Great

Salmon Run: Competition Between Wild and Farmed

Salmon. TRAFFIC North America. Washington, D.C.: World

Wildlife Fund.

Marine Conservation Society’s Sustainable Seafood Guide:

www.fishonline.org

Marine Stewardship Council: http://eng.msc.org/

Monterrey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch: www.mbayaq.

org/cr/seafoodwatch.asp

Seafood Choices Alliance: www.seafoodchoices.com

WWF Seafood Guides – available for Belgium, Denmark,

Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Indonesia,

Netherlands, Norway, Poland, South Africa, Spain, Sweden,

Switzerland:

http://www.panda.org/about_wwf/what_we_do/marine/

our_solutions/sustainable_fishing/sustainable_seafood/

seafood_guides/index.cfm

WWF Salmon Aquaculture Dialogue:

www.worldwildlife.org/aquadialogues

While the information presented in this factsheet was

believed to be correct at the time of going to press in

2012, it may have changed since then. Hoteliers are

advised to check local and international regulations and

recommendations on the products discussed here.

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Hundreds of mollusc species are consumed as seafood.

Most species are fast-growing and produce large numbers

of young, and thus potentially can withstand considerable

harvesting. The three main groups involved in the

international seafood trade are:

• Bivalves – filter feeding molluscs with two shells, e.g.

mussels, scallops, oysters;

• Gastropods – snail-like animals, e.g. Queen conch; and

• Cephalopods – soft-bodied, mobile animals,

e.g. squid, octopus.

Although some species are taken from the wild, molluscs

are particularly important as they make up about 25 percent

of the world’s aquaculture production. China is the top

producer, with just over 80 percent of world production,

followed by Japan, the U.S., France, Thailand, Spain, New

Zealand and Italy. Most molluscs used as seafood are

bivalves, which are filter feeders that obtain their nutrition by

removing suspended particles from water. This makes them

highly suitable for farming as they do not require feeding.

Wild spat or juveniles are collected in areas of natural

spatfalls or produced in hatcheries, and then ‘grown-out’

to marketable size on a variety of surfaces (trays, ropes,

rafts, etc.), either on the bottom or suspended in the water.

Bivalve farming has a low impact on the marine environment

as there is no feeding with fishmeal or fish oil and hence no

pressure on other fisheries, and no increased nutrient input

to coastal waters. Bivalves may even make surrounding

waters cleaner by filtering out nutrients and organic matter.

Fertilizers, antibiotics and other chemicals are seldom used.

There are, however, a few potential negative impacts to

mollusc farming, including effects on the nutrient balance

of the seabed, introduction of disease in wild populations

and escape of non-native species that may out-compete

wild stock.

In the UK, the Soil Association has developed standards

to certify several bivalves as organic, including mussels,

scallops and clams. Certification will provide assurance

that farming causes minimum negative impacts on

the surrounding environment, that wastes are re-used

and recycled wherever possible, and that harvesting is

environmentally-friendly (e.g. no dredging for scallops).

SCALLOPS

There are over 360 species of scallops, which are distributed

broadly throughout the world. They are popular in many

countries, typically served cooked in or out of the shell or

raw as sushi, and available fresh or frozen.

Sea scallops are an economically important species in

the Atlantic Ocean, with fisheries in the United States and

Canada. The majority consumed locally are wild-caught.

Scallops are farmed in 20 countries, the main producers

being China and Japan, followed by Chile and Peru. About

15 species of scallop are farmed and account for some 60

percent of world scallop production. Farmed scallops are

available year-round, but fresh scallops may be limited in

specific regions for food safety reasons.

Conservation issues

The sea scallop population in the North Atlantic is relatively

healthy and abundant and is well-managed, but the

population in the Mid-Atlantic region (North Carolina to New

York) is overfished.

Scallops are usually caught by dredging, and to a lesser

extent trawling, both methods that cause severe damage to

the sea floor, and may result in by-catch of marine turtles

and fish. Closed areas, gear modifications, and catch limits

can be used to reduce fish by-catch, but high numbers

of loggerhead turtles are still injured and killed in the Mid-

Atlantic. Hand-collection by divers is the preferred method

for harvesting wild scallops, since diving is restricted by

depth to less than 30 m, which means that populations in

deeper water are protected and act as breeding stock. In

Europe, scallops hand-collected by divers are generally

larger and of better quality than dredged scallops.

The spat for farmed scallops are collected from the wild or

produced in hatcheries and transplanted to sites in coastal

waters. They are either suspended in the water-column

(for harvesting by hand) or laid on the seabed for grow-out

(harvested by dredging, which can damage the seabed). The

use of wild scallop spat does not appear to harm natural

scallop populations, because it is transplanted to locations

that are generally superior to those where it would settle

naturally. However, in China the abundance of scallops in

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the wild is generally low, and wild spat collection may have

a negative impact.

Species to choose

WILD-CAUGHT SCALLOPS

• Patagonian scallop (Zygochlamys patagonica). Marine

Stewardship Council (MSC) certified in 2006. The fishery

is mainly in Argentinean waters, but the product is

available “frozen-at-sea” in Europe, the U.S. and Canada.

• Wild-caught hand-collected scallops in Europe:

- Atlantic scallop (Placoplecten magellicanus).

MCS rating: 3 (cause for concern), MBA ranking: Good

alternative.

- Queen scallop (Aequipecten opercularis).

MCS rating: 3 (cause for concern).

• Wild-caught Giant Sea Scallop from northeast U.S. and

Canada. MBA ranking: Good choice.

• Wild-caught Australia scallop. WWF Hong Kong:

recommended.

• Diver-caught Mexican Sea Scallops (Nodipecten

subnodosus). MBA ranking: Best choice.

• Diver-caught Mexican Bay scallops (Argopecten

ventricosus). MBA ranking: Good alternative.

FARMED SCALLOPS

• Europe. Responsibly managed farmed scallops (e.g. King

Scallops), and those certified as organic.

• Farmed Bay scallops (Argopecten irradians). MBA

ranking: Best choice when produced by off-bottom

techniques. On-bottom, dredged scallops are considered

a Good Alternative.

• Farmed scallops from China. WWF Hong Kong:

recommended.

Species of particular concern

• Wild-caught scallops harvested by dredging, such as

those from the U.S. Mid-Atlantic.

• King scallop (Pecten maximus). MCS rating: 4 (cause for

concern).

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OYSTERS

Oysters are filter-feeding bivalves found in most of

the world’s oceans, except near polar extremes. They

reproduce quickly and prolifically, but overharvesting,

habitat destruction, and the introduction of diseases have

severely reduced their populations in the wild. Wild-caught

oysters are not very common, and farmed oysters account

for 97 percent of the world’s total oyster consumption (4.6

million tonnes annually). China produces over 80 percent

of the world’s farmed oysters but these are for domestic

consumption. The other main producers of farmed oysters

are Korea, Japan, France and the United States. The

majority of farmed oysters (97 percent) are Pacific oysters

(Crassostrea gigas), which originated in northeastern Asia.

These oysters reach market size in three to four years,

compared to five to six years for some other species.

Conservation issues

Pollution of nearshore waters and destruction of habitat

have made wild oysters scarce in some areas. In addition,

dredge-harvesting of oysters can damage seafloor habitat.

The European flat or native oyster (Ostrea edulis) is depleted

in the wild throughout most of its range. Areas once noted

for their large natural beds are now being used for oyster

farming.

Most oyster farming operations are privately owned and

well-managed. Oysters are bred in hatcheries and then

grown on in intertidal waters, usually in semi-rigid plastic

mesh bags, supported by steel trestles or placed in

elongated cages suspended between a series of poles

submerged in seawater during high tide. Larger oysters

may be re-laid loose onto the seabed where there is firm

gravel ground. The best farming areas are sheltered sites

with some mixing of marine and fresh water. Pacific oyster

producers in temperate areas rely on spat from oyster

hatcheries, as this species generally does not spawn in

cool waters, although recent warmer weather is inducing

reproduction. The native European oyster is also farmed.

Manual harvesting methods cause less disturbance to

sediment than mechanical methods, but are less suited

to deeper water for practical reasons. The introduction of

oysters to non-native areas can introduce diseases, and

concerns are growing about the impacts of genetically

altered oysters being raised in the wild.

Species to choose

• Farmed Pacific oyster: MCS rating: 1 (good); MBA

ranking: Best choice.

• Farmed oysters from China: WWF Hong Kong:

recommended. Choose products from farms that use off-

bottom culture techniques and hand-harvesting, rather

than dredging.

• Wild-caught U.S. Gulf of Mexico and Canada oysters:

MBA ranking: Good choice.

MUSSELS

Some 90 percent of world mussel production is from

aquaculture, and the main producers are China, Spain,

Italy, Thailand, France and New Zealand. The United States

produces less than 0.1 percent of global aquaculture

production and relies on imports primarily from Canada

and New Zealand. Mussels are the most common species

of shellfish farmed in the UK, where a number of species

are used. Farmed mussels are available year-round, but

fresh mussels may be limited in specific regions for food

safety reasons.

Conservation issues

Farming methods for mussels are generally environmentally

sound, as suspension methods are usually used. Spat for

off-bottom culture, which accounts for about 85 percent of

production, are normally captured from the water column

with spat collectors. In on-bottom culture, spat are dredged

from natural sites and placed on the seabed, and after

grow-out are harvested by dredging, which can damage

the seabed. Increased organic matter concentration, lower

redox potential, and decreased benthic diversity may be

found beneath and around the edges of suspended mussel

aquaculture sites, but this tends to be relatively minor.

Escape of mussels is uncommon. Because diseases are

rare, mussel producers are less affected by outbreaks than

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other bivalve producers, and so antibiotics are rarely used.

Best Management Practices (BMPs) for mussel farming

have been developed in Canada and New Zealand.

Species to choose

• Farmed worldwide: MBA ranking: Best. Seek out

mussels that have been grown in suspended culture

(MCS rating: 1 (good)), rather than on the seabed (MCS

rating: 2 (cause of concern)).

ABALONE (ormer (France), perlemoen (South Africa))

Abalone are herbivorous gastropods in the genus Haliotis,

found throughout much of the world (including Europe,

South Africa, along the Pacific coast of North America,

Japan, China, Australia and New Zealand). They are highly

prized, particularly in Asia where the meat may fetch up to

US$1,000/kg during Chinese New Year. Wild and farmed

abalone from Mexico, Australia, New Zealand, Taiwan,

Japan and China fulfil most of the global demand. There

are commercial fisheries for Haliotis tuberculata in France

and Spain, and a small abalone aquaculture industry in

California, with most of the product exported to Asia.

Conservation issues

Many wild populations of abalone have been depleted

due to over-harvesting. Abalone stocks have plummeted

in South Africa, where most of the abalone harvested is

exported to East Asia, particularly Hong Kong. Continued

illegal harvesting and trade could have a severe impact on

the survival of the species. All five major abalone fisheries

on the Pacific coast of California are depleted as a result of

over 50 years of heavy fishing (both sport and commercial),

poaching, predation by an increasing population of sea

otters, pollution of mainland habitat, disease and inadequate

wild stock management. In an effort to rebuild stocks,

the commercial fishery was closed in 1997, although a

sport fishery remains open north of San Francisco. The

French abalone fishery is regulated by a permit and quota

system, but this is poorly enforced. Stocks in Brittany have

only partially recovered since a severe bacterial disease

devastated them in 1996/7. In Spain, the fishery has had to

close on at least two occasions due to pollution.

Abalone is farmed in California under strict regulations to

control disease and pest problems (sabellid worm and

withering foot syndrome). The farm-raised abalone have a

maximum harvesting size of four-inch long shells; abalone

larger than this are likely to be illegally sourced. Abalone are

fed on algae, although a manufactured feed is also used. An

abalone aquaculture industry is developing around Europe,

mainly in Ireland where H. discus hannai and H. tuberculata

have been imported, and there are prospective aquaculture

developments in France, England, Spain and Scotland.

Species to choose

• Wild-caught abalone from Australia. WWF Hong Kong:

recommended.

• Farmed Red, Green and Pink Abalone from the U.S..

MBA ranking: Best choice.

• Farmed abalone from China. WWF Hong Kong:

recommended.

Species of particular concern

• Wild-caught abalone from South Africa and California

—until effective measures to tackle excessive poaching

are put in place.

QUEEN CONCH

A large marine gastropod mollusc found only in the

Caribbean, queen conch (Strombus gigas) is slow-moving

and easy to pick up by hand, or with simple fishing gear

(poke poles). Conchs are especially vulnerable to fishing

during the spawning season, when they gather in large

numbers. They are long-lived and mature late, making them

vulnerable to fishing pressure.

The queen conch is distributed throughout the Caribbean,

from Florida (US) to the northern coast of South America. It

is one of the seven species of the family Strombidae, and it

is known by various names throughout its range, including:

Botuto or Guarura (Venezuela); Cambombia (Panama);

Cambute (Costa Rica); Caracol abulon (Guatemala); Caracol

gigante (Honduras); Caracol pala (Colombia); Caracol

rosado (Mexico); Carrucho (Puerto Rico); Cobo (Cuba);

and Lambi (Hispaniola and French Antilles). They primarily

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inhabit sandy seafloors in clean, shallow waters, but also

occur in depths of up to 100 m. The species has been

included in Appendix II of CITES since 1992, which requires

that CITES permits be issued for all commercial exports

(with some exemptions on shells trade explained below),

and although it was classified as Commercially Threatened

in the 1994 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, it is not

currently classified as threatened by IUCN.

Queen conch (conch) has been harvested for food for

centuries, however, a large commercial fishery has

developed only in the last few decades, mainly in response

to the increased international and domestic demand for

the meat. Today, the species is one of the most important

fishery resources in the Caribbean. The shells are also

used and traded as curio and tourist souvenirs, but are

considered a by-product of the meat trade. In some parts

of the Caribbean, dishes such as conch fritters have been

a uniquely Caribbean food sold to tourists and conch has

been an important cultural reference for indigenous people

for centuries.

Over the past few decades, intensive fishing pressure

has led to population declines, stock collapses and

consequently the total or temporary closure of both

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locations, for example in Bermuda, Cuba, Colombia,

Florida, Mexico, the Netherlands Antilles, the Virgin Islands,

Venezuela, and recently Honduras and the Dominican

Republic. Up until 2003, available information suggested

that the majority of S. gigas populations had continued to

decline since the species was listed in CITES, and in some

areas, populations were so low that it was a serious risk to

local fisheries. Overfishing for domestic and international

trade is the primary factor for these population declines,

although pollution and habitat loss may also be a factor.

The use of scuba and hookah gear (compressor diving)

has become widespread and as near-shore areas are

increasingly overfished, former deep-water refugia (>20 m)

have also become subject to intense exploitation in some

areas. In a number of countries, the status of local conch

populations is either poorly known or not known at all.

With the exception of Haiti and the Turks and Caicos

Islands (GB), all conch range States are Parties to CITES,

and almost all of them have imposed some regulations

relating to the management and/or conservation of the

conch fisheries. The most common measures include

minimum size restrictions, closed seasons, closed areas

or no-take zones, harvest quotas or daily bag limits and

gear restrictions. Harvest and/or export quotas are used

by various countries, as well as daily bag limits. However,

enforcement is poor in some countries and regulations are

often ignored. Farming has been attempted, but to date has

not been commercially successful, although there is a farm

in the Turks and Caicos.

For many of the above reasons, the conch was selected

for a detailed review by CITES that resulted in the

Dominican Republic and Honduras stopping –in 2003- the

export of conch. They also committed themselves to fully

implementing a recovery programme, which includes more

rigorous population surveys and more effective regulation

of the national fishing industry. In addition, and as a result

of the review, CITES asked all member governments of

CITES to suspend the importation of conch from Haiti until

it improved the species management. Trade suspensions

had also been in place for Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados,

Dominica, and Trinidad and Tobago.

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Currently, and after complying with all CITES recom-

mendations, Honduras has resumed its exports (since 2006;

and currently with an annual quota for exporting 210,000 kg

of meat), as opposed to the Dominican Republic, which is

still working to comply with them, but for which CITES trade

suspension recommendation has been lifted. Only Haiti and

Grenada still face a trade suspension as recommended by

CITES (www.cites.org).

The Monterrey Bay Aquarium recommends that, until conch

fisheries can be reliably managed and conch populations return

to higher levels, consumers should “Avoid” this species.

SQUID OR CALAMARI

Although almost 100 species of squid are fished

commercially, two species, the Japanese flying squid

(Todarodes pacificus) and the Argentine shortfin squid (Illex

argentinus), account for over half the world’s squid harvest.

More than 30 countries or territories fish squid, with China,

Taiwan, India, South Korea and Thailand accounting for

nearly 80 percent of U.S. squid imports. India lands squid

solely from the Indian Ocean.

There is a major fishery in Atlantic squid (Loligo forbesi), a

widespread species found throughout the Northeast Atlantic

and the Mediterranean. Although commercial species of

both squid and octopus occur in the Caribbean, little fishery

development for cephalopods has taken place.

Conservation issues

Squid have short life cycles (six to 18 months), little overlap

of generations and highly erratic recruitment, and show wide

fluctuations of abundance. These factors, combined with

little or no management and unreliable fishery data, raise

concerns about possible overfishing. Furthermore, it is often

difficult to determine species name and fishery of origin

for squid sold as seafood; most squid is labelled simply as

‘squid’ by exporting countries.

Squid grow quickly and reproduce at a young age, making

them highly resilient to fishing pressure. But abundance

varies over time and according to location, as it depends on

ocean conditions such as temperature and prey availability.

Some fisheries have experienced large fluctuations in catch,

which is not necessarily due to overfishing.

In international waters, squid is mostly caught using jigs or

trawls, both of which have low by-catch. Squid fisheries on the

high seas are not managed, and stock abundance is largely

unknown. Squid play an important role in marine food webs as

both predator and prey and are an important source of food

for marine mammals such as sperm whales. This is a matter

of concern as, increasingly, squid are becoming the target in

areas where other species have declined due to overfishing.

Species to choose

• Wild-caught squid, worldwide. MBA ranking: Good

alternative; WWF Hong Kong:, recommended.

• Trawl-caught longfin squid, U.S. Atlantic Ocean. MBA

ranking: Best choice.

• Trawl-caught shortfin squid, U.S. Atlantic Ocean. MBA

ranking: Good alternative.

• Wild-caught jumbo squid, Gulf of California. MBA

ranking: Good alternative.

OCTOPUS

Octopus grow rapidly and are probably three to four years

old when sexually mature. Unlike the mass spawning

behaviour of squid, octopus reproduction involves females

laying eggs, guarding them and dying once the eggs hatch.

In Europe, both the common octopus (Octopus vulgaris)

which is also present in the Caribbean sea, and the lesser

octopus (Eledone cirrhosa) are taken as by-catch in trawl

fisheries. They are also taken in earthenware pots which they

enter instinctively in order to hide. Octopus are not subject

to stock assessment or quota controls; there is no fishery

management in place, except an EU minimum landing

size for the lesser octopus, but there is a minimum landing

weight of 750 grammes for common octopus.

Species to choose

• Pot and trap caught octopus species. MCS rating: 3

(cause for concern).

• Wild caught octopus from Hawaii and Gulf of California.

MBA ranking: Good alternative.

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Species of particular concern

• The MCS recommends avoiding eating baby octopus,

as they will have had no chance to breed.

• Demersal otter trawl and beam trawl caught octopus

species. MCS rating: 4 (cause for concern).

• Wild caught common octopus. MBA ranking: Avoid.

• Cuttlefish from the South China Sea.

WWF Hong Kong: Avoid.

OTHER MOLLUSCS

A vast array of other molluscs are used in seafood. Clams,

a generic name used for a wide diversity of bivalves, are

particularly popular. The most common wild-caught clams

in the eastern U.S. are the Atlantic surf clam (used in soups

and chowders), ocean quahog, softshell clam and hard

clam. The population of Atlantic surf clams is healthy and

abundant, but they are commonly harvested by hydraulic

dredging, which uses pressurized water jets to wash clams

out of the sediment and results in considerable damage to

the seabed. A cockle fishery has been certified by the MSC

(see below). Many species are farmed.

Species to choose

• Burry Inlet Cockle Fishery (Cerastoderma edule): A

traditional fishery in South Wales where cockles are

gathered by hand-raking and sieving and sold locally

to UK retailers, although some are exported to Spain,

Holland, France and Portugal. MSC certified.

• Wild-caught soft shell/steamers (longneck, fryer), U.S.

Atlantic Ocean. MBA ranking: Best choice.

• Wild-caught Atlantic surf clams, U.S. Atlantic Ocean.

MBA ranking: Good alternative.

• Wild-caught hard clams (little neck, cherrystone,

chowder), U.S. Atlantic Ocean.

MBA ranking: Good alternative.

• Wild-caught ocean quahog (black clams),

U.S. Atlantic Ocean. MBA ranking: Good alternative.

• Wild-caught giant clam/geoduck, U.S., Canadian

Pacific: MBA ranking: Best choice.

• Farmed clams (steamers, littlenecks, cockles).

MBA ranking: Best choice.

• Farmed clams, China. WWF Hong Kong: recommended.

Factsheet 3 continued

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Sources of further information

Australia’s Sustainable Seafood Guide – available from the

Australian Marine Conservation Society:

http://www.amcs.org.au/

Blue Ocean Institute Guide to Ocean Friendly Seafood:

www.blueocean.org/seafood

Huchette, S.M.H. and Clavier, J. 2004. Status of the ormer

industry in Europe. J. Shellfish Research.

Marine Conservation Society’s sustainable seafood guide:

www.fishonline.org

Marine Stewardship Council: http://eng.msc.org/

Monterrey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch:

www.mbayaq.org/cr/seafoodwatch.asp

Seafood Choices Alliance: www.seafoodchoices.com

WWF Abalone Aquaculture Dialogue:

www.worldwildlife.org/aquadialogues

WWF Mollusc Aquaculture Dialogue:

www.worldwildlife.org/aquadialogues

WWF Seafood Guides – available for Belgium, Denmark,

Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Indonesia,

Netherlands, Norway, Poland, South Africa, Spain,

Sweden, Switzerland: http://www.panda.org/

While the information presented in this factsheet was

believed to be correct at the time of going to press in

2012, it may have changed since then. Hoteliers are

advised to check local and international regulations and

recommendations on the products discussed here.

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Numerous crustaceans are popular as seafood, ranging

from large lobsters to small shrimp, and the fisheries

themselves are equally diverse, involving various gears

and ranging from small-scale, local enterprises to large

commercial industries. Few fisheries have been fully

assessed for their sustainability, particularly the small-scale

ones and those in developing countries. This fact sheet

provides a brief guide to some of the more popular species

involved, including:

• Prawn and shrimp;

• Lobster; and

• Crab.

Information on North American and European crustacean

fisheries is more easily available (see seafood guides listed

under Sources of further information). We recommend hotels

and buyers in the Caribbean to try and find out as much

as possible about the sources and methods of harvesting

or farming products that are available, and then use the

general guidance in the factsheets on seafood to make

their choices (for example, choose locally caught seafood

that is harvested in an environmentally sound way or uses

good farming techniques, such as minimising impacts on

mangroves and other important habitats).

PRAWN AND SHRIMP

The names prawn and shrimp tend to be used

interchangeably, although, technically, shrimp are

distinguished from prawns by the structure of the gills.

In Europe (particularly the UK), Australia and other

Commonwealth countries, prawn is used more often than

shrimp, which is the more common term in North America.

To add further confusion, some species are marketed under

many different names (e.g. the circumpolar species Pandalus

borealis may be called pink shrimp, northern shrimp,

northern pink shrimp, Pacific pink shrimp or salad shrimp).

There is a huge and growing market for shrimp. About 40

shrimp and prawn species have commercial value. They

can be categorised into three main types: wild-caught

cold-water or northern shrimp in the family Pandalidae

(25 percent of the global harvest); warm-water, tropical or

southern shrimp, mainly in the genus Penaeus (50 percent

of the global harvest); and farmed shrimp (25 percent of the

global harvest). Freshwater species are also often used but

are not addressed in this factsheet.

About ten species are farmed, most of which are warm-

water penaeid shrimp, because of their quick growth and

large size. Some Penaeid species can adapt to water much

less saline than seawater, which means they can be farmed

in brackish and freshwater systems. These include the

Pacific white shrimp (Penaeus vannamei), which is farmed

widely in western countries, the Chinese white shrimp (P.

chinensis); and the tiger prawn (P. monodon), which reaches

harvest weight in four months and is widely cultivated

in Asia. All these species grow fast, can be cultured at

high densities, and have become the mainstay of shrimp

farming worldwide. Developing countries account for 99

percent of production of farmed shrimp, most coming from

China, followed by India, Thailand, Indonesia, Ecuador,

Brazil, Bangladesh and Vietnam. The majority is exported

to the United States, European Union and Japan. Farming

methods range from simple ponds in coastal areas to

high-tech inland systems that filter and re-circulate their

water. These methods can be divided into three categories:

extensive/traditional, semi-intensive and intensive.

Conservation issues

Many stocks of shrimp have been overfished. Determining

which products are sustainable is made difficult by the fact

that the global shrimp market makes no distinction between

warm-water and cold-water shrimp, or between farm-raised

or wild-caught, and the confusion of common names makes

it difficult to know the origin of a product (e.g. imported

shrimp is sometimes repacked as domestic product). In

some countries, there is now a requirement for food items to

be labelled with their country of origin.

Northern prawn or shrimp: These are small (maximum

length about 15 cm), short-lived, fast growers that produce

many young. The status of stocks is generally unknown

and subject to large natural fluctuations. In North America,

species such as pink and northern shrimp are typically

caught by bottom trawls, which often damage the sea

TRAFFIC RECOMMENDS

Factsheet 4: Crustaceans

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bed, particularly the sandy and muddy habitats preferred

by shrimp. By-catch reduction devices have significantly

reduced accidental take of endangered species (sea turtles,

mammals, seabirds, etc.) but there still tends to be by-catch

of groundfish.

Tropical or southern prawn or shrimp: These are short-

lived and very prolific. Most tropical shrimp are captured by

bottom trawling, which damages the seabed and takes high

levels of by-catch (27 percent of global by-catch), including

large numbers of sea turtles, as well as fish and invertebrates;

up to 10 kg of by-catch may be discarded for every kilogram

of prawn landed. Measures to reduce by-catch include turtle

exclusion devices (TEDs) and square mesh panels that can

reduce by-catch significantly, but management measures

and enforcement of catch quotas and TED requirements

vary widely and, even where TEDs are employed, by-catch

of finfish and invertebrates remains high.

Farmed prawn or shrimp: Much prawn farming causes

loss and degradation of wetlands, mangroves and other

habitats, as well as pollution and depletion of wild stocks.

Farm-raised shrimp are sometimes labelled as wild-caught,

because of their bad reputation. The key environmental and

social issues related to shrimp farming are:

• Clearance of ecologically-sensitive habitat, such as

mangrove forests, to create ponds;

• Salinization of groundwater and agricultural land as water

seeps out of the ponds;

• Pollution from organic waste, chemicals and antibiotics;

• Drainage of aquifers to supply water;

• Depletion of wild stocks of fish for use in

formulated feeds;

• Decline of healthy broodstock through collection from the

wild; and

• Escape of farmed shrimp that compete with wild shrimp

for food, transfer diseases and interbreed.

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Factsheet 4 continued

Species generally to choose

Try to choose prawns taken in fisheries using sorting grids

to reduce by-catch of non-target species, and also shrimp/

prawns labelled with recognised, credible, environmental,

fairtrade and organic labels. For farmed prawns, choose

those from farms managed according to the International

Principles for Responsible Shrimp Farming (see Sources of

further information), or from sources certified as organic.

• Northern prawn or crevette (Pandalus borealis). Sorting

grids are compulsorily fitted in nets in Norwegian,

Canadian and U.S. waters to reduce by-catch. From

North Atlantic, Pacific and Arctic Oceans. MCS rating: 3

(cause for concern). Wild-caught Northern Shrimp from

Canada and U.S. Atlantic. MBA ranking: Good alternative.

• South Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico warm water

shrimp fisheries. Seven species of shrimp are fished

commercially in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico and South

Atlantic. Overall, management of these has been

fairly effective, maintaining stocks, researching habitat

effects, and addressing by-catch issues. MBA ranking:

Good alternative.

• Pink/salad/cocktail shrimp from Oregon, U.S. (Pandalus

jordani). Oregon shrimp are sold primarily on the U.S.

west coast but some are exported. MSC certified in 2007;

MBA ranking: Best choice, but note there has been little

assessment or management of pink shrimp stocks off

Washington State. MBA ranking: Avoid.

• Pot-caught spot prawn (or prawn, spot shrimp). Spot

prawns are only caught with pot gear, which results in

little by-catch, although their hard-bottom habitats, home

to fragile glass sponges and corals, may be damaged if

traps are moved by large ocean swells and tides, or when

they are hauled in. British Columbia – MBA ranking: Best

choice. U.S. – MBA ranking: Good alternative.

• Organically farmed tiger prawns (Penaeus monodon).

These are produced in Vietnam and Ecuador (using

no pesticides or antibiotics). However, check labelling

carefully, as non-organic farmed prawns are also

available from these countries.

• Farmed shrimp from the United States. U.S. shrimp

farms are subject to laws limiting environmental impacts,

which makes them a good alternative to imported farmed

shrimp. MBA ranking: Good alternative.

Species of particular concern

• Tiger prawn (also known as giant, black and jumbo

tiger prawn or shrimp) (Penaeus monodon). Try to ensure

any purchases are of organically farmed animals (see

above). This is the most common wild-caught warm-

water shrimp, and the most commonly farmed shrimp in

southeast Asia. The shrimp farm ponds have led to the

loss of many mangroves. In addition, farmed shrimp are

generally fed on pellets made from wild caught fish, and

farms depend on juveniles caught from the wild. MCS

rating: 5 (avoid); MBA ranking: Avoid.

• ‘Hite shrimp’, imported into the United States. These

shrimp are likely to have been trawled, thus contributing

to the by-catch problem. MBA ranking: Avoid.

• WWF Hong Kong recommends avoiding farmed shrimp

from China, wild-caught shrimp from the South China

Sea, and mantis shrimp from the South China Sea.

LOBSTER

The name ‘lobster’ is used for several different groups of

crustaceans that are popular as seafood; about 150 species

are involved. They are found in all temperate and tropical

oceans and at all depths, and are fished both commercially

and artisanally. This factsheet addresses two groups of

lobster species commonly in demand in restaurants:

• Clawed or ‘true’ lobsters from the families Nephropidae

and Homaridae. These are distinguished by their large

front claws and mainly found in temperate water. They

include the common European lobster, the American or

Maine lobster, and the Norway lobster (commonly known

as langoustine or scampi, although the term “scampi”

refers to the cooking method and may involve shrimp).

• Spiny/rock or warm water lobsters from the family

Palinuridae. These have no claws but have a thick

muscular tail and thick hard shells protected with an

array of spines. They are typically found on the seafloor

in tropical, semitropical and temperate waters, hiding

among rocks, kelp and coral, and from shallow to deep

water. They are commonly sold just for their tails.

Slipper and squat lobsters, and freshwater crayfish are

not covered in this factsheet. The latter are often farmed,

resulting regularly in escapes that have led to invasive

populations that disrupt aquatic ecosystems and threaten

native crayfish stocks.

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Factsheet 4 continued

The Caribbean Spiny lobsters

As their name suggests, spiny lobsters are covered with spines, which repel predators. They have two pairs of antennae, one of which, also spine-covered, can be longer than their body and unlike northern lobsters, they do not have claws. The edible tails are often the only of lobsters sold, making identification of the species difficult but not impossible to a trained eye.

The tails are most commonly available frozen, and are sometimes subdivided into “warmwater” and “coldwater” tails, depending upon the species/fishery of origin. Warmwater tails originate from the tropical fisheries of the Caribbean, California and both coasts of Central and South America, while coldwater tails come from the temperate-water fisheries of Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. In their frozen state, warmwater tails are coated with a glaze of ice, while coldwater tails are frozen without a glaze. Seafood traders consider tails removed from live lobsters superior to those collected after the animal’s death; therefore, premium lobster tails are trap- or diver-caught, not spearfished. Coldwater tails are considered superior in flavour and texture to warmwater tails, and their costs reflect this.

The Caribbean spiny lobster, Panulirus argus, can be found at depths of up to 90 metres (300 ft) from Brazil to North Carolina, including the entire Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean Sea, the Bahamas, Bermuda, and eastern South America. It is a popular seafood item for human consumption, and is the number one food export of the Bahamas and rivals the shrimp industry in Florida in commercial value. Caribbean spiny lobsters

are eagerly looked for by both commercial lobstermen and sport divers in the region.

Caribbean spiny lobsters originate from coastal fisheries, rather than fish farms, due to the difficulty of culturing them because of their long larval life stage (which lasts 6 to 7 months). They are primarily caught with pots and traps. Additional types of fishing gear include bottom trawls, dip nets, handlines and spears; they are also handpicked. In the Bahamas and Caribbean, they are often also speared or gigged, which is prohibited in Florida.

The prolonged pelagic stage of spiny lobsters larvae means they can disperse over unusually wide areas. This has profound implications for spiny lobster management, because the management of a fishery in one country can have significant effects on lobster populations in another country.

As with other crustaceans, it is impossible to age accurately a wild-caught lobster. Therefore, estimates of “age at maturity” are replaced by “size at maturity”, which can actually vary significantly within a species, making it difficult to establish minimum size limits to manage a fishery. In the Caribbean a minimum size limit of close to 9 cm (3.5 inches) has been established. Other management measures in the region include gear restrictions, closed seasons, the prohibition of retaining egg-bearing female lobsters aboard a vessel, a commercial trap reduction program, and recreational trip limits.

SourceNOAA: http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/fishwatch/species/car_spiny_lobster.htm

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Conservation issues

Spiny/rock or warm-water lobsters: The world’s largest

suppliers of spiny lobster (Panulirus argus) are Australia,

Brazil, and the Caribbean countries (led by Cuba and

Nicaragua), and there are domestic fisheries in Florida

and California. Spiny lobsters are caught mainly in traps

in shallow water, but nets, pots, spears, scuba and skin

diving are also used. Lobsters in Brazil and some parts

of the Caribbean are overfished, captured before they

reach reproductive maturity or caught illegally, despite the

presence of regulation and management schemes; the

Florida fishery is well-managed. There is intensive fishing,

both commercial and artisanal, for spiny lobsters in the

Indian and Pacific Oceans, and many stocks are overfished.

Clawed or true lobsters: Many traditional fishing grounds

for popular species, such as the American or Maine

lobster (Homarus americanus) in North America and the

common lobster (H. gammarus) in Europe are depleted.

The population status of the former is largely unknown but

thought to be low, while stocks of the latter are below a

quarter of their potential level in the unfished state. These

lobsters may live 50 years or more. Both species are caught

in pots; in North America, the endangered North Atlantic

right whale is sometimes accidentally entangled in pots.

The Norway lobster Nephrops norvegicus (also known

as langoustine, jomfruhummer, buchstabenkrebs, cigala,

Dublin Bay prawn, havskräfta, kaisergranat, kaiserhummer,

keisarihummeri, karavída, nephrops, Noorse kreeft, Norway

prawn, Norwegischer hummer, sjøkreps) is better studied,

because of its high demand. It is fished from Iceland to the

Mediterranean Sea, with most catches coming from the

North Sea, the waters around the UK and Ireland, and the

Bay of Biscay. Markets for whole Nephrops are principally

in southern Europe, and there is significant use of tails in

scampi production in the UK. The status of many stocks is

unknown, but some appear to be sustainable and in some

cases increasing, perhaps due to decreased predation by

depleted species such as cod and hake. However, stocks

are depleted in West and North Galicia, the Cantabrian Sea

and North Portugal. About 30 percent of Norway lobster in

the North Sea and 50-60 percent in the Bay of Biscay are

thrown overboard, either because they are smaller than the

minimum landing size or because the market prefers larger

individuals; most are unlikely to survive.

Norway lobster live in burrows dug into soft, muddy

sediments on the sea floor and are fished with beam and

otter trawls (main method), seine nets, and baited traps

called creels. The heavy otter and beam trawls cause

considerable damage to the seabed and its communities,

sometimes to a depth of 30cm or more, and also re-suspend

sediment that smothers filter feeders and reduces the light

available for photosynthetic organisms. The small mesh size

of the trawl fisheries results in large quantities of by-catch,

including juvenile fish of commercial species such as cod,

sole, plaice, haddock, whiting, and hake, up to 70 percent of

which are discarded as they are below the minimum landing

size. This has led to concerns that some Norway lobster

fisheries may be affecting the recovery of cod stocks and

the sustainability of whiting and haddock fisheries.

One Norway Lobster fishery has MSC certification (see

below) and others are undergoing assessment.

Species generally to choose

• Trap-caught American/Maine lobster, Northeast U.S.

and Canada. MBA ranking: Good choice.

• Pot-caught common lobster, Europe, provided it is

above the legal minimum landing size, is not egg-bearing

and is not a large female. Lobster potting is the most

selective fishing method.

• Loch Torridon Nephrops (Norway Lobster) Creel

Fishery. This fishery in northwest Scotland, UK, uses

baited creels/pots deployed on lines, and adheres to the

voluntary Torridon Management Plan. Most of the catch

is exported to Spain. MSC certified in 2003.

• Norway lobster - those caught using:

- traditional creels that have less impact on the marine

environment, lower rates of by-catch than trawl

fisheries, and return unwanted catch back to the sea

unharmed; or

- nets with sorting grids, larger mesh sizes, or escape

panels to allow juvenile fish to escape and reduce

by-catch of non-target species (e.g. some fisheries

in Sweden).

• Red rock or California spiny lobster (Panulirus

interruptus), Baja California, Mexico. This fishery is on

the Pacific coast of Northwest Mexico between California

and the Mexican Gulf of Tehunantepec. The lobsters are

mainly exported to Asia, France and the United States; 10

percent are sold domestically, mainly to restaurants.

MSC certified in 2004; MBA ranking: Best choice;

MCS rating: 1 (good).

• Western Australian rock lobster (Panulirus cygnus).

This fishery, which is located from Cape Leeuwin to

Shark Bay in Western Australia, harvests lobsters using

baited pots with escape gaps. This is the most valuable

single-species fishery in Australia, representing about

20 percent of the total value of Australia’s fisheries; the

catch is largely exported to Taiwan, Japan, Hong Kong,

China, the U.S. and Europe. MSC certified in 2000; MBA

ranking: Best choice; MCS rating: 1 (good).

• Eastern Australia rock lobster: WWF Hong Kong

recommended.

• Rock/warm-water lobster, U.S. trap caught. U.S.

rock lobster fisheries have strict guidelines, attentive

management and extensive scientific assessment.

MBA ranking: Best choice.

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Factsheet 4 continued

Species of particular concern

• Spiny/rock/warm-water lobster from the Caribbean.

It is important to check the origin of the spiny lobster,

as there are vast differences among existing fisheries.

Fisheries in Nicaragua, Honduras, and Brazil are often

overfished, captured before they reach reproductive

maturity or caught illegally. There is little information

available about population health and abundance

to determine good fishery management practices.

Concerning MBA rankings, you should “Avoid”

Caribbean spiny lobster from Brazil. However, you can

choose the ones coming from Florida, as the fishery

is strictly managed and scientifically well-assessed,

and it is ranked as “Best Choice”, while Caribbean

spiny lobster from the Bahamas is currently a “Good

Alternative”.

• Common lobster below the legal minimum landing

size, egg-bearing (i.e. ‘berried’) or large females.

MCS rating: 4 (cause for concern).

CRAB

Many crab species are used in seafood. For most species,

there is little information on population size and status,

and thus it is difficult to recommend sustainable fisheries,

hence guidelines are given on what to avoid when buying

crabs, rather than specific guidelines to particular species.

Three crab fisheries have currently been certified by the

MSC, and some others are undergoing assessment.

Although most crabs are caught in traps or pots that

have little by-catch and allow undersized small crabs to

be returned to the sea alive, traps and pots can cause

damage to the seabed. Some species are taken in nets,

where by-catch may be a problem.

When buying crab, avoid the following:

• Immature and undersized animals below the legal

minimum landing sizes (e.g., 5 inches (almost 13 cm) for

blue crabs in some areas) or egg bearing (berried) crabs;

• Crabs caught during their winter spawning or

breeding time;

• Crabs caught in nets;

• Fresh (not previously frozen) crabs caught during the

spawning season, which varies according to different

species and areas; and

• Crab claws, unless it is known that they have been

removed from the crab during processing, as claws may

have been removed from live crabs and the rest of the

body discarded at sea.

The following species are commonly

found for sale in restaurants:

Dungeness crabs (Cancer magister): Also called market

crab, San Francisco crab, Pacific edible crab, and

commercial crab, these are found in shallow coastal waters

from Alaska to Mexico. Their abundance fluctuates with

oceanic conditions, and consequently populations are

difficult to assess. In the United States, no females can be

taken, and only males large enough to have mated at least

twice may be taken. United States and Canada trap-caught,

MBA rating: Best choice.

Stone crabs (Menippe mercenaria) are popular in the

Southeast U.S. and supplied predominantly by the Florida

west coast crab fishery. Trap-caught in U.S. Atlantic and

Gulf of Mexico, MBA rating: Best choice.

King crabs: There are around 40 species of king crabs,

which are sometimes also known as stone crabs (not to

be confused with the Florida stone crab). They are spider-

like crustaceans, found offshore in deep-sea habitat that is

generally healthy. King crabs moult, aggregate to mate, and

brood their eggs for about a year, all traits which make them

vulnerable to fishing. Their abundance naturally expands

and contracts. Trapped from the U.S., MBA rating: Good

alternative, and from the rest of the world, Avoid.

Snow crabs (Chionoecetes opilio): These crabs are

classified as overfished in Alaska, because of their low

abundance. Fishery managers have implemented rebuilding

measures, but it is too soon to tell if they are effective.

Canadian Atlantic populations are considered healthy. MBA

rates Alaskan and Canadian wild-caught snow crabs as a

Good Alternative.

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Blue crabs (Callinectes sapidus): Also called hardshell

crab, softshell crab, or blue-claw crab, these crabs mature

early and carry their eggs for a short period of time, making

them more resilient to fishing pressure than some other

crab species. The blue crab is native to the coastal waters

of the western Atlantic, from Nova Scotia to northern

Argentina, including Caribbean waters around the Antilles,

and in the Gulf of Mexico. Traditionally taken from the

Chesapeake Bay area, equal amounts now come from the

Carolina coast and the Gulf of Mexico. Abundance varies,

but many populations are declining due to habitat loss

caused by pollution and coastal development. In the Gulf

of Mexico, shrimp trawlers take juvenile crabs as by-catch

before they have the chance to mature and reproduce; and

even when most of that catch is discarded, released crabs

may die after release from injuries or capture-related stress.

U.S. trap-caught, MBA rating: Good alternative.

European spider crab (Maia squinado): The largest crab in

British waters, these crabs are caught mainly with tangle

nets, which result in more by-catch than pots.

Brown or edible crab (Cancer pagurus): These crabs, found

in Europe, can grow up to about 300 mm carapace width.

Found in waters down to 100 m, they are highly fecund and

spawn mainly in the winter months. Many populations are

overfished. Well-managed pot fisheries: MCS recommended.

Mangrove/mud crabs (Scylla serrata): Widespread in the

tropical waters of Africa, Australia and Asia, these crabs

are popularly eaten in Australia and South Asia. Little

information is available on population size, but this species

is increasingly being ‘ranched’ (with juveniles fattened in

pens) in small-scale, community-managed projects. Product

from such sources is a better choice than wild-harvested

mud crabs.

Imitation crab or lobster: Also called surimi, this is a

minced fish paste made from pollock mixed with other kinds

of fish that may or may not be caught using environmentally

responsible fishing methods. Other fish used include

sardines, mackerel, barracuda, striped mullet, threadfin

bream, Atka mackerel, hoki, blue whiting, Pacific whiting

and cod. Imitation crab made from wild-caught MSC-

certified Alaska pollock is a good alternative to crab meat.

WWF Hong Kong recommends that wild-caught red crab

and horseshoe crab from the South China Sea should not

be chosen.

Sources of further information

Australia’s Sustainable Seafood Guide – available from the

Australian Marine Conservation Society

http://www.amcs.org.au

Blue Ocean Institute Guide to Ocean Friendly Seafood:

www.blueocean.org/seafood

Marine Conservation Society’s sustainable sea food guide:

www.fishonline.org

Marine Stewardship Council: http://eng.msc.org/

Monterrey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch:

www.mbayaq.org/cr/seafoodwatch.asp

Seafood Choices Alliance: www.seafoodchoices.com

WWF Seafood Guides – available for Belgium, Denmark,

Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Indonesia,

Netherlands, Norway, Poland, South Africa, Spain, Sweden,

Switzerland: http://www.panda.org

Shrimp

Environmental Justice Foundation Consumer Guide to

Prawns: http://www.ejfoundation.org/

FAO/NACA/UNEP/WB/WWF. 2006. International Principles

for Responsible Shrimp Farming. Network of Aquaculture

Centres in Asia-Pacific (NACA). Bangkok, Thailand. 20 pp.

Factsheet 4 continued

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International Principles for Responsible Shrimp Farming:

http://www.enaca.org/modules/wfdownloads/singlefile.

php?cid=142&lid=735

Miller P. 1999. Investigation of the shrimp industry in

Thailand for the Swedish market. Final report for the Swedish

Society for Nature Conservation.

WWF Shrimp Aquaculture Dialogue:

www.worldwildlife.org/aquadialogues

Lobsters

Marshall, N., S.A.H. Milledge, and P.S. Afonso. 2001. Stormy

Seas for Marine Invertebrates: trade in sea cucumbers,

seashells and lobsters in Kenya, Tanzania and Mozambique.

TRAFFIC East/Southern Africa, Nairobi, Kenya.

Pitcher, C.R. 1993. Spiny Lobster. Chap. 17. In: Wright,

A. and Hill, L. (Eds). Nearshore Marine Resources of the

South Pacific: information for fisheries development and

management. Institute of Pacific Studies/Forum Fisheries

Agency/International Centre for Ocean Development, Canada.

Caribbean Sustainable Fisheries Corporation: http://www.

csfbvi.com/

The Caribbean Spiny Lobster Fishery in Cuba: An approach

to sustainable fishery management: http://dukespace.lib.

duke.edu/dspace/handle/10161/1008?show=full

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

(NOAA): http://www.noaa.gov and http://www.nmfs.noaa.

gov/fishwatch/species/car_spiny_lobster.htm

While the information presented in this factsheet was

believed to be correct at the time of going to press in

2012, it may have changed since then. Hoteliers are

advised to check local and international regulations and

recommendations on the products discussed here.

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Overfishing is one of the greatest threats to the marine

environment and its wildlife. The Food and Agriculture

Organization (FAO) reports that almost 70 percent of global

marine fish stocks are overfished or depleted, and in some

cases completely fished-out. This can perhaps be seen most

dramatically in the North Atlantic – cod stocks in Canada’s

Grand Banks are still nowhere near to recovering some 15

years after the collapse of the fishery during the early 1990s.

Hotel restaurants can help by sourcing fish from responsibly

managed fisheries, and by choosing fish that are caught

or farmed in a way that minimises damage to the marine

environment. One of the best-known certification schemes

that aims to ensure fish are sourced sustainably is operated

by the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC). Certified product

is marked by the scheme’s distinctive blue label.

The issue of the sustainability of fish supplies is exceedingly

complex and constantly evolving, therefore the advice here

has to be general, and clearly cannot be comprehensive for

all species currently traded. Some species may be rare in

one locality and abundant elsewhere. Several organisations

have produced ‘best fish guides’ in an attempt to rate various

fish species according to the sustainability of their harvest.

Links are provided in this document to several of these

guides, and local advice should be sought where possible.

SHARKS

About 30-40 species of shark from over 120 countries are

fished for both their meat and fins, the fins being the most

valuable product, particularly in Asian countries.

Shark meat does not travel well without refrigeration and is

generally of low value. It is eaten in a few countries but is

rarely seen on restaurant menus. The exception is dogfish

shark which is sometimes used as a substitute for cod in

fish and chips and sold as ‘rock salmon’.

Sharks have an important tourism value in countries that

have a diving industry, such as in the Caribbean region, but

population declines are threatening this value. For example,

a single live reef shark is estimated to be worth US$250,000

a year through dive tourism in the Bahamas, whereas a dead

reef shark has a onetime value of $50-60 to a fisherman.

Conservation issues

Most shark populations worldwide are heavily overfished

for their meat and fins and from accidental capture. About

20 percent of the 547 species of sharks on the IUCN Red

List are threatened. Basking sharks (Cetorhinus maximus),

whale sharks (Rhincodon typus) and great white sharks

(Carcharodon carcharias), although not in demand for

seafood, are listed in Appendix II of CITES.

An estimated 100 million sharks are caught each year, and

the global catch has increased by 300 percent since 1950.

Since sharks grow slowly, mature late and give birth to only

a few young at a time, they decline rapidly in the face of

intense exploitation. The loss of Asian shark stocks has led

Asian fishing operators to target sharks farther away, e.g. in

the Pacific, and has also contributed to the development of

specific shark fisheries.

TRAFFIC RECOMMENDS

Factsheet 5: Other fish

The Caribbean Reef Shark

The commonest shark in the Caribbean Sea is the Caribbean reef shark (Carcharhinus perezi), which has a long, powerful, stream-lined body, a large dorsal fin, and greyish upperparts and a white underside. It is found in the Western Atlantic from the U.S. throughout the Caribbean Sea, south to Brazil. Despite its widespread distribution and apparent abundance in some areas, this large, inshore shark has suffered significant declines due to intensive fishing in the last century and it is classified by IUCN as Near Threatened. Dedicated shark fisheries once operated throughout the Caribbean, driven by the demand for shark fins in Asia, where they are considered a delicacy. Although many operations closed down in the late 1990s as sharks became scarcer, pressure on the surviving vulnerable populations persists. In the 2000s, Asian traders would purchase fins for up to US$82/kg, with shark meat being sold at a fraction of this price to Belize, Mexico and Guatemala. Sharks are also caught as sports fishing trophies, for their skin

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Species of particular concern

All seafood guides, including those of the Marine

Conservation Society (MCS), Monterrey Bay Aquarium

(MBA) and WWF, recommend that shark should not be

eaten. Artificial shark fin substitutes, such as seaweed

extracts and animal tendon, are available. In Hong Kong,

some 30 organisations have pledged not to buy or sell shark

fin soup as part of their corporate activities, under the WWF

seafood initiative.

LIVE REEF FOOD FISH (LRFF)

This group of large-bodied coral reef fish involves about 100

species, including certain groupers (Serranidae), snappers

(Lutjanidae), and parrotfishes (Scaridae). Many of these are

fished for food in the Caribbean region, and some have been

overharvested and are now a cause for concern. Coral reef

fisheries in the Caribbean -predominantly artisanal, small-

scale, subsistence fisheries- are an inexpensive source of

protein and provide employment where few alternatives

exist. In tourist areas, many fish are sold directly to local

restaurants. For some Caribbean countries, the export

market in snapper, grouper, and reef-associated lobster

and conch generates millions of dollars for the national

economy, supplying demand far away from these tropical

sources (World Resources Institute; http://archive.wri.org).

Conservation issues

Many of the species used as LRFF are coral reef fish and

are vulnerable to overfishing, as they grow slowly, are late

to mature and are naturally uncommon. Certain species

also spawn in small aggregations that are easy to fish

and can be easily depleted; others have very small home

ranges. Some change sex as part of their life history, and

thus, if a particular size is targeted by a fishery, one sex

may be preferentially removed. Several species are on the

IUCN Red List, including the goliath grouper (Epinephelus

itajara), which is critically endangered, and the mutton

snapper (Lutjanus analis), which is listed as vulnerable. The

humphead wrasse (Cheilinus undulatus), an Asiatic species

listed by the IUCN as endangered, is the only LRFF listed

in CITES Appendix II (i.e. international trade permitted only

with an export permit, which may only be issued if the

source country has management measures to ensure the

sustainability of the species).

Although hook and line is often used and is relatively benign,

the cyanide and large traps that are used in some areas can

cause habitat damage. Portable fish traps, which are cheap

and effective, are the most widely used fishing gear in the

Caribbean. Unfortunately, such traps can also be destructive

(when fishers drop them onto the reef, breaking up the corals)

and wasteful (when they are lost underwater as they continue

to catch fish for months or even years). Another particularly

damaging form of overfishing in the Caribbean has been

the targeting of spawning aggregations. Many of the larger

grouper and snapper species congregate at known localities

once or twice a year to spawn in vast numbers. Where fishers

know the location of such spawning aggregations, they can

remove the entire population of a species in just a few days

(World Resources Institute; http://archive.wri.org).

(leather), for their liver oil (used to make leather and beauty products) and as fishmeal.

The greatest threat to the Caribbean reef shark, however, is from accidental bycatch in longline and gillnet fisheries and in hook and line grouper and snapper fisheries (particularly in Belize). Additionally, their reef habitats in the Caribbean are being damaged through coral bleaching, disease and physical impacts.

The sharks are a major tourist attraction for divers in some areas, such as Florida, Belize, Bahamas and Cuba, and consequently shark fishing has been prohibited in some waters. The Caribbean reef shark is also protected in several Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). Fortunately, the Caribbean reef shark is still relatively abundant and widespread, and measures to protect coastal habitats and wildlife are contributing to its maintenance in our tropical oceans.

More information about the Caribbean reef shark is at: http://www.arkive.org/caribbean-reef-shark/carcharhinus-perezi/

94

There is some hatchery production of the young of a few

grouper species, but most LRFF come from the wild, either

as juveniles or as adults, depending on the species.

Species of particular concern

• Patagonian toothfish - also known as Chilean sea bass,

merluza negra (in Latin America) and mero (in Japan).

This large, slow-growing southern hemisphere species

is caught by long-line fishing, some of it undoubtedly

carried out illegally. The long-lining taking place without

mitigation measures in place is responsible for a large

amount of incidental by-catch of endangered seabirds

(mainly rare albatrosses and petrels), sharks and even

marine turtles. Of the world’s 22 species of albatross,

18 are globally threatened with extinction, mainly due to

long-line fishing.

• Orange roughy. Orange roughy is a slow-growing, long-

lived fish (it can reach ages of more than a hundred

years) that is very vulnerable to over-exploitation, with

some populations decimated by overfishing. It is often

caught by bottom-trawling, a method that damages the

seabed and may have a significant effect on the ocean

ecosystem. The species is also thought to contain high

levels of mercury, another good reason not to serve it.

• American plaice (dab). Despite its name, the

American plaice is also available on European menus.

It is a slow-maturing flatfish that is vulnerable to

overfishing. Preferable alternatives include MSC-certified

European plaice from the Irish Sea, or Alaskan Plaice

from the Pacific.

• Atlantic cod. Atlantic cod has been heavily exploited for

the past 50 years, leading to huge population declines

(around 90 percent). Alternatives include MSC-certified

pollock, hake, hoki, Pacific cod, sablefish or mackerel

icefish.

• Atlantic halibut. The Atlantic halibut is another species

of flatfish that is overfished. An alternative would be

MSC-certified North Pacific halibut.

• Black scabbardfish (espada). This strange-looking

deep-sea fish is heavily fished, and therefore is perhaps

best avoided. Only go for mature fish (longer than 80cm)

caught by traditional fisheries.

• Blue ling. This is a deep-water North Atlantic species,

vulnerable to excessive trawling.

• Hake. Many stocks of European hake from the eastern

Atlantic and Mediterranean are in decline through

overfishing. In the U.S., the white hake is similarly

overfished. More sustainable alternatives include the

silver and red hake (northeast Atlantic) and the shallow-

water cape hake of southern Africa. Another species, the

southern hake, off New Zealand, is also under threat.

• Monkfish. European monkfish from north and

northwestern Spain and the Portuguese coast are

overfished. U.S. stocks are thought to be recovering after

a period of over-harvest.

• Snappers. Many species of snapper are overfished, and

the IUCN classifies two species from the Caribbean and

Americas – the mutton snapper (Lutjanus analis) and the

cubera snapper (Lutjanus cyanopterus) – as Vulnerable.

Avoid eating these and try to ascertain the origin of any

other snappers which you source. Red snappers caught

off the northern coast of Western Australia currently

come from healthy stocks, for instance.

• Hoki. In recent years, hoki has been increasingly sold

away from its New Zealand range as a sustainable cod

substitute. Although certified by the MSC, the New

Zealand conservation organisation Forest & Bird claims

there is a significant by-catch of fur seals, albatrosses

and other seabirds, as well as overfishing of hoki itself.

• Groupers. Once considered a byproduct of the red

snapper fishery, grouper, in recent years, has become

quite popular among seafood consumers. Historically,

recreational catches were much higher than commercial

landings, but that situation has reversed in recent

decades. Many groupers are important food fish, and

some of them are now farmed. Unlike most other fish

species which are chilled or frozen, groupers are usually

sold live in markets.

Particularly of concern in the Caribbean region, is the

goliath grouper (Epinephelus itajara), found in tropical

and subtropical waters of the Atlantic and eastern Pacific

oceans, and caught widely in the Gulf of Mexico and

throughout most of the Caribbean. This species is of

significant commercial and recreational interest, and its

life history characteristics make it highly vulnerable to

overfishing. Although there are now several regulations

which prohibit it from being harvested (e.g., USA since

1990; US Caribbean since 1993; Brazil since 2002), it is

Factsheet 5 continued

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still classified as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red

List. Another relevant species to the Caribbean is the

black grouper (Mycteroperca bonaci), distributed from

Bermuda and Massachusetts (USA) to Brazil, including

the Caribbean region. This species was formerly the

most abundant large grouper of shallow waters. Black

groupers are commonly landed in commercial grouper

fisheries in the Gulf of Mexico and the south Atlantic

Ocean, and are also very common in recreational

fisheries. It has been heavily fished throughout its range.

Commercial landings of this species exceed those of

any other grouper for example in Florida and Cuba, and

there has been a significant reduction of yields in these

and other areas (e.g. the Mexican Caribbean), attributed

to the constant increase in fishing efforts. Black groupers

are currently classified as Near Threatened on the IUCN

Red List, as is the red grouper (Epinephelus morio),

also distributed throughout the Caribbean, which faces

a similar situation with particularly marked population

declines in some areas caused by overfishing.

• Swordfish. These spectacular fish are at the top of the

food chain and play an important role in the marine

ecosystem, so their excessive removal may have far-

reaching consequences. By-catch of non-target species,

such as sharks (on long-lines), dolphins and marine

turtles (in illegal driftnets, mainly off North Africa and the

rest of the Mediterranean) is an issue for many swordfish

fisheries. Harpoon and handline-caught swordfish from

the U.S. North Atlantic are the best choice, as these

fisheries are well-managed with measures in place to

reduce the by-catch of endangered marine turtles.

• Parrotfish. They are found in relatively shallow tropical

and subtropical oceans throughout the world. A

commercial fishery exists for some of the larger tropical

species, particularly in the Indo-Pacific. Their meat

is considered a delicacy in some parts of the world.

The approximately 90 species are found in coral reefs,

rocky coasts and seagrass beds. Protecting parrotfish

is proposed as a way of saving Caribbean coral reefs

from being overgrown with seaweed as this is part of

their diet. The species are increasingly being fished for

food in this region because all the other species are

gone. The science committee of the Caribbean Fishery

Management Council has recommended that fishing be

prohibited for certain parrotfish, such as the midnight

parrotfish (Scarus coelestinus), which is found from

Bermuda and South Florida to Venezuela. This is the

third largest parrotfish in the Caribbean. A commercial

fishery exists for some of the larger individuals, and there

is anecdotal evidence suggesting population declines

in parts of its range (i.e., in Antilles and Barbados).

However, there are no catch landings data available that

indicate a decrease in the population. It is therefore listed

as Data Deficient in the IUCN Red List.

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Species to choose

• Herring (also sold as pilchards, sild, kippers and, in the

United States, as canned sardines). Atlantic Herring

populations in the United States and Canada have fully

recovered from overfishing in the 1960s, and European

populations are thought to be sustainable.

• Alaskan or walleye Pollock. Alaskan pollock fisheries are

well-managed and sustainable. Choose MSC-certified fish.

• Mackerels. Various species, including chub, king, Atlantic

and Spanish. Line- or net-caught mackerel from MSC-

certified fisheries are best, if handline-caught fish cannot

be sourced.

• Pacific cod. Pacific cod is a better alternative to Atlantic

cod, as the Alaskan fishery manages catch numbers and

incidental by-catch. MSC-certified fish from the Bering

Sea and Aleutian Islands fishery are a good choice,

particularly as this fishery has managed to reduce its

seabird by-catch.

• Coley (Saithe). Many populations of this species are

considered healthy and sustainable.

• Various flatfish. A number of populations of various

flatfish offer more-sustainable alternatives to popular

flatfish such as American plaice. These include Dover sole

(MSC-certified fisheries), and U.S. and Canadian rock

sole. Pacific halibut stocks are also well-managed and a

good alternative to Atlantic halibut.

Sources of further information

Audubon’s Seafood Lover’s Guide:

http://www.audubon.org/

Blue Ocean Institute Guide to Ocean Friendly Seafood:

http://www.blueocean.org/seafood

FishBase – scientific reference guide to fish species:

http://www.fishbase.org/

Marine Conservation Society’s sustainable sea food guide:

http://www.fishonline.org

Marine Stewardship Council (MSC): http://www.msc.org/

Monterey Bay Aquarium – Seafood Watch:

http://www.mbayaq.org/cr/seafoodwatch.asp

New Zealand Forest and Bird Protection Society – best

fish guide: http://www.forestandbird.org.nz/what-we-do/

publications/the-best-fish-guide

Seafood Choices Alliance: www.seafoodchoices.com

Sierra Club of Canada – guide to seafood:

http://www.sierraclub.bc.ca/seafood-and-oceans

WWF’s sustainable seafood guides:

http://www.panda.org/

Caribbean Marine Protected Areas Managers (CaMPAM)

Network and Forum: http://campam.gcfi.org/campam.php

Gulf and Caribbean Fisheries Institute (GCFI):

http://www.gcfi.org/index.php

WWF- Sustainable Fishing - Latin America: http://wwf.

panda.org/what_we_do/how_we_work/conservation/marine/

sustainable_fishing/sustainable_fishing_lac/

Smart Fishing Network Initiative (WWF): http://wwf.panda.

org/what_we_do/footprint/smart_fishing/

LRFF

ARKive, Images of Life on Earth: http://www.arkive.org/fish/

TRAFFIC Fish Species Reports. http://www.traffic.org/

species-reports/

IUCN Red List: http://www.iucnredlist.org/

http://www.wwf.org.hk/en/whatwedo/footprint/seafood/

Sadovy, Y.J., T.J. Donaldson, T.R. Graham, F. McGilvray,

G.J. Muldoon, M.J. Phillips, M.A. Rimmer, A. Smith and

B. Yeeting (2003). While stocks last: the live food reef fish

trade, Vol. Asian Development Bank, Manila.

The Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC) Live Fish

Trade Initiative: http://www.seaweb.org/home.php

Sharks

Camhi, M., S. Fowler, J. Musick, A. Bräutigam and S.

Fordham (1998). Sharks and their relatives: ecology and

conservation. Occasional Paper of the IUCN Species

Survival Commission 20.

FAO (2000a). The International Plan of Action for the

Conservation and Management of Sharks. FAO, Rome.

Fowler, S.M. and J.A. Musick (2002). IUCN shark specialist

group finning position statement.

Lack, M. (2006). Conservation of Spiny Dogfish Squalus

acanthias: a role for CITES? TRAFFIC International.

Lack, M. and G. Sant. (2006). Confronting Shark

Conservation Head On! TRAFFIC International.

Vannuccini, S. (1999) Shark utilization, marketing and trade.

FAO Fish. Tech. Paper, 389, Rome.

While the information presented in this factsheet was

believed to be correct at the time of going to press in

2012, it may have changed since then. Hoteliers are

advised to check local and international regulations and

recommendations on the products discussed here.

98

Caviar, the unfertilized roe (eggs) of sturgeon and

paddlefish, is one of the world’s most recognisable and

luxurious gourmet delicacies. Overfishing and poaching,

as well as pollution, habitat loss and other environmental

factors, have led to large declines in the populations of

these fish, which are killed in order to extract their roe.

Twenty-seven species of this ancient group of fish live in

both coastal and inland waters across Europe, Asia and

North America. Historically, the Caspian Sea—shared

between Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Russia and

Turkmenistan—is home to the largest numbers and the

most highly prized sturgeon species. Many of these are now

threatened with extinction.

The EU is thought to be the world’s largest consumer of

caviar, with over 600 tonnes imported between 1998–2005,

compared to over 300 tonnes to the United States over

the same period. However, large domestic markets exist in

range states (those countries where the sturgeon are usually

found), which is also a contributing factor in the decline of

many sturgeons.

Trade in sturgeon/paddlefish products, including caviar, has

been internationally regulated since the late 1990s, when

concerns about their over-fishing became widespread.

However, the illegal trade in caviar is rife, and thought to

include links with organised crime.

All caviar sold in the European Union (since 2006) and all

caviar imported into the United States (since 2007) has had

to include special non-reusable CITES labels containing

standardized information including, for example, the species

of fish involved and the country of origin. These CITES-

labelled tins aim to ensure crime-free caviar. Note that the

United States labelling requirement does not cover caviar

produced and consumed domestically, only caviar imported

(or exported or re-exported) from the United States.

In general, travellers are currently allowed to bring small

amounts of caviar (up to 125g per person) back into their

home country for personal use without the need of a CITES

permit, although some countries have adopted stricter

measures and do prohibit the import of any caviar from

particular species or populations (e.g., the U.S. Government

has banned the import of wild beluga caviar from the

Caspian and Black Seas, excluding ossetra or sevruga

caviar, or caviar from farmed sturgeon).

TRAFFIC RECOMMENDS

Factsheet 6: Caviar

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Caviar varieties of particular concern

• Beluga caviar – from the Beluga sturgeon (Huso huso).

The Beluga sturgeon can reach weights of more than

2,000 kg and lengths of more than five metres (though

large individuals are now rare) and live to a hundred years

of age. It is found primarily in the Black and Caspian Seas.

Beluga produces the most expensive caviar, with prices

reaching up to US$500 for 100 g of roe by 2008. The

Beluga sturgeon was classified as Endangered in 1996

by IUCN, and a 2007 assessment by two fish experts

considered it to be Critically Endangered. Since 2005, the

United States has banned imports of Beluga products

from countries bordering the Black and Caspian Seas.

• Ossetra caviar – from the Ossetra or Russian sturgeon

(Acipenser gueldenstaedtii). Ossetra caviar is firmer

in texture than Beluga caviar, and although not as

expensive, is still one of the most highly prized caviars.

The Russian sturgeon from which it is obtained was

classified as Endangered in 1996 by the IUCN, and a

2009 assessment by three fish experts considered it to

be Critically Endangered. It can grow to lengths of up to

2.3 metres and weigh up to 100 kg.

• Sevruga caviar - from the Stellate sturgeon (Acipenser

stellatus). The third-most sought-after caviar, Sevruga

caviar comes from another endangered Caspian Sea

species, the Stellate sturgeon, which can grow to up to

2.2 metres in length and weigh up to 80 kg.

• Paddlefish caviar. Two species of paddlefish occur,

both in the freshwater systems of North America. Closely

related to the sturgeons of Europe and Asia, paddlefish

caviar is very similar to sturgeon caviar (said to resemble

Sevruga caviar most closely). Although historically

there has been over-exploitation of wild paddlefish

stocks, there are now a number of farmed paddlefish

programmes underway, which offer a more sustainable

product. Wild-caught paddlefish caviar is currently best

avoided due to population concerns.

Caviar varieties (or alternatives) generally to choose

• Herring roe. Herring roe is a popular alternative to caviar

in many parts of the world and sold under a variety of

product names, including as ‘Avruga caviar’. This much-

cheaper sturgeon caviar alternative has a similar taste.

• Salmon roe. Colourful orange salmon eggs are

another roe alternative from non-endangered species.

Both roe from wild Pacific salmon and farmed Atlantic

salmon are available.

• Lumpsucker caviar. The Lumpsucker (Cyclopterus

lumpus) is a North Atlantic fish that produces large

quantities of roe. This roe is a popular delicacy in Denmark,

where it is renowned for being a tasty and affordable

alternative to sturgeon caviar. It is sold as ‘Caviar de

Lompe’ in France and ‘Huevas du Lompo’ in Spain.

• Farmed sturgeon caviar. With the decline and ensuing

rarity of wild sturgeon populations, sturgeon fish-farming

(aquaculture) is a growing business. Various species

are farmed — all of which should be clearly labelled as

such. Farming helps ease the pressure on wild sturgeon

populations. In Europe, farmed ‘Baerii caviar’ (from the

Siberian sturgeon) is said to be very similar to the three

main Caspian caviars. ‘Transmontanus Caviar’ comes

from the American white sturgeon, a rare species in its

native North America, but popularly farmed in parts of the

United States and Europe.

Sources of further information

FishBase – scientific reference guide to fish species

http://www.fishbase.org/

TRAFFIC caviar information leaflets

http://www.traffic.org/species-reports/

http://www.traffic.org/species-reports/caviar-factsheet-

english-1.pdf

http://www.traffic.org/species-reports/caviar-factsheet-

english-2.pdf

WWF caviar FAQs

http://www.worldwildlife.org/what/globalmarkets/

wildlifetrade/faqs-caviar.html

While the information presented in this factsheet was

believed to be correct at the time of going to press in

2012, it may have changed since then. Hoteliers are

advised to check local and international regulations and

recommendations on the products discussed here.

100

The trade in timber and wood constitutes a massive global

trade in natural resources. Wood and timber products are

used in furniture, construction, flooring and paper (in fact

pulp products constitute by far the largest overall usage).

Many species of tree are utilised in this production, some of

which are globally threatened (particularly tropical hardwood

species) and subject to international trade restrictions. Many

forest ecosystems are declining and their integrity is in

danger, also due to timber harvesting.

A number of hardwood species are categorised as threatened

by IUCN and listed in the Convention on International Trade

in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).

This affords them varying levels of protection once the

appropriate national legislation has been enforced.

As well as the effect on the threatened tree species

themselves, over-exploitation can have a knock-on effect on

the wider environment, causing the declines of other plant

and animal species. Unsustainable management of forests

also has social and economic implications for local people.

Despite this, when making choices as to the purchase of

furniture, or undertaking building improvements to the hotel,

there are a number of decisions that can be made to limit

the environmental impact.

Hardwood species of particular concern

• Big-leaf mahogany (Swietenia macrophylla): Big-leaf or

Brazilian mahogany is one of the world’s most valuable

and in former times extensively traded hardwoods. It is

found in Central and South America and used to make

furniture, wood panelling and musical instruments. The

species has been commercially decimated throughout

much of its range and is listed in Appendix II of CITES,

which means that countries require a permit to export it.

This permit requires a scientific assessment that the trade

will not be detrimental to the species’ survival. Due to the

high price of the wood, much illegal logging of this species

takes place while legal trade has declined significantly

since its CITES listing.

• African mahogany: Mahogany (Khaya spp.) from West

Africa is almost as prized as its big-leaf equivalent. It is

used for furniture-making and various joinery elements,

and is globally Threatened according to the IUCN Red

List, which classifies 4 species of Khaya as Vulnerable,

and another one as Endangered.

• Afrormosia (Pericopsis elata): This West African tree,

which is used for furniture and in joinery, is classified as

Endangered. As with Big-leaf Mahogany, the species

is also listed in CITES Appendix II, and therefore trade

controls are in place and CITES permits are necessary to

export it.

• Afzelia (Afzelia spp.): This West African tree, which is

used for high-quality exterior joinery, is classified as

Vulnerable.

• Spanish cedar (Cedrela odorata): From South and

Central America, this tree, which is used in cabinet

making and light construction, is globally threatened

(IUCN’s Red List classifies it as Vulnerable). Brazil,

Bolivia, Colombia, Guatemala and Peru listed the species

in CITES Appendix III, which then requires a permit for

exports from these countries. Cedar trade rose as a

substitute to the declining supply of Big-leaf Mahogany.

However recent trade data show that also the legal Cedar

trade is dropping dramatically. Depletion of the natural

stock is potentially the reason the supply is declining, but

this remains to be proven.

• Andoung (Monopetalanthus spp.): Various African

species of this tree, which is used for furniture and light

construction, are Vulnerable concerning the IUCN Red

List, and one of them (i.e., M. hedinii) is classified as

Critically Endangered.

• Ebony (Diospyros spp.): Various species of ebony

from Asia and Africa are used to make items such as

doorknobs, cutlery handles, musical instruments, etc.

Several species are considered to be globally threatened

by the IUCN.

• Honduras and Nicaraguan Rosewood (Dalbergia

retusa and D. stevensonii): This timber is very beautiful

and valuable and the commercial stock has declined

substantially. The species are threatened, and listed in

the CITES III Appendix by Guatemala.

TRAFFIC RECOMMENDS

Factsheet 7: Woods for furniture and construction

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• Keruing / Yang / Curjun (Dipterocarpus spp.): Found

in Malaysia and Indonesia, this is a medium dense

hardwood used in construction and for features like

decking. Many species are globally threatened, which is

reflected in the IUCN Red List.

• Makore / Douka (Tieghemella afriana): This West

African tree is used for joinery requiring toughness. It is

Endangered according to IUCN.

• Meranti / Seraya / Lauan (Shorea spp.): These include

various southeast Asian Shorea species used in joinery

such as door and window frames, garden furniture, etc.

Many Shorea species are globally threatened. Due to

decline of natural stock, the quality of Meranti which now

comes on the market is lower than that previously. Many

timber shipments are less red and less dense which are

the preferred qualities.

• Ramin (Gonystylus spp.): From Malaysia and Indonesia,

this wood is used in mouldings, as well as decorative

carvings, venetian blinds, panelling, picture frames and

skirting boards. It is globally threatened and listed in CITES

Appendix II, so that exporters need to apply for a permit.

• Sapele (Entandrophragma cylindricum): This West African

tree, which is used in furniture, joinery and decorations, is

Vulnerable according to the IUCN Red List.

• Honduras and Nicaraguan Rosewood (Dalbergia

retusa and D. stevensonii): This timber is very beautiful

and valuable and the commercial stock has declined

substantially. The species are threatened, and listed in

the CITES III Appendix by Guatemala.

There are some more species, which are traded heavily

and might be on the verge of being listed as threatened,

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Factsheet 7 continued

such as Cumaru or Alemendrillo (Dipteryx odorata) or

Jatobá or Paquió (Hymenaea courbaril). Both species are

harvested in South American rainforests and are very hard,

but decorative and durable timbers species, often used for

outdoor purposes (decking).

Timber certification

A number of timber certification schemes, which

independently inspect forest operations and verify that the

timber has come from well-managed forests, are now in

existence. These give buyers confidence when purchasing

timber products – those labelled as part of such a scheme

can be purchased safe in the knowledge that good practice

was being followed and endangered tree species were not

being felled.

Probably the most familiar scheme is that of the Forest

Stewardship Council (FSC). Certified wood is marked with

the FSC logo – the outline of a tree and the letters FSC.

This is a globally recognised scheme that uses rigorous,

independent assessments.

Other schemes include the North American Sustainable

Forestry Initiative (SFI), the Canadian National Standard on

Sustainable Forest Management, and the Programme for

Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC). Many large

retailers are now trying to ensure that their products are

sourced from well-managed, certified forests.

Despite the benefits of these schemes, it should be noted

that certified forests currently account for only a small

percentage of the international timber trade. Of these, many

more FSC-certified forests are found in temperate, rather

than tropical areas. In the Caribbean currently there are only

certified forests under the FSC scheme, none certified under

other systems.

Unsustainable use of more common species

The vast majority of wood products do not come from

the above tropical hardwoods, but from non-endangered

temperate species. However, even some of these forests are

badly managed and unsustainably harvested, particularly

in Eastern Europe and the Russian Far East. A number

of important areas of old-growth forest are affected, with

illegal logging even taking place in some protected areas. A

second relevant source for timber utilizing common species

(such as Eucalyptus or Acacia), are plantations producing

timber. While there are in some cases bad practices to

establish or maintain a plantation, such as using only one

species or on land used by marginalized rural people, also

good practices have been defined (such as FSC certified

plantations) and purchasers should choose such sources.

Therefore, even when purchasing non-tropical timber

products, the safest way to ensure that only wood from

properly-managed forests is being used is to choose

FSC-certified timber (or timber from another

certification scheme).

Buying second-hand, recycled or reclaimed timber and

antique furniture

Antique and reclaimed timber often comes from trees that

today are globally threatened, or protected by international

trade restrictions. However, it is perfectly acceptable to

purchase these sources of timber/furniture in antique form.

In fact, in many ways it is preferable, since the wood has

already been harvested. Older sources of timber are also

often of higher quality than today’s timber, since they were

harvested from dense first-growth forests. However, there is

a lot of furniture on the market that pretends to be antique,

but is not. It became a fashion from mainly Indian, and also

Chinese, furniture producers to mimic old, used surfaces

on furniture. So, whenever these types of furniture are

purchased, make sure of its origins and that it is a genuine

antique.

Bamboo and rattan

There are about 1,200 species of woody bamboo around the

world, many with extraordinary life cycles. Some of these

species are thought to be at risk from forest destruction.

Bamboos support many different animal species, including

high-profile mammals, such as the giant panda, mountain

gorilla, and species of lemur in Madagascar. But most of the

bamboo on the market comes from plantations, and is less

of a concern. Bamboo has a large range of subsistence and

commercial uses. Although the majority of the estimated $2

billion annual trade is local, much bamboo is also exported

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for furniture making, flooring, etc. Bamboo is often marketed

as an environmentally friendly alternative to tropical

timber due to its fast growth rates. Currently only a few

manufacturers and distributors sell FSC-certified bamboo

products, which are safe options for purchase.

Rattan refers to roughly 600 species of tropical spiny,

climbing palms found in Asia and Africa, often along rivers.

Rattan is exported for furniture making. Unlike bamboo, rattan

does not grow at a very fast rate and is seldom sustainably

managed. Consequently rattan resources have declined

dramatically over the last 50 years. There are even less FSC

certified manufacturers than in the case of Bamboo.

Paper

Any product made from wood, including paper, can be

certified, as long as the original wood came from a certified

source. Paper forms a massive part of the global timber

industry (roughly 1/3 of the global commercial harvest of

timber is used as fibre source for pulp and paper products),

so it is important to apply the same criteria to it as to other

wood-based products. A specific characteristic of paper is

that it can be recycled. Recycling of paper not only protects

the world’s forests, but if done under high environmental

standards, it is better in terms of the use of energy and

chemicals. It therefore also makes sense to choose paper

that has been produced from recycled fibre, or as second

option that comes from sustainable forest management.

International known labels for good recycled paper products

are the German ‘Blauer Engel’ or the Nordic ‘Swan’.

Sources of further information

Canadian National Standard on Sustainable Forest

Management: http://www.certificationcanada.org/english/

CITES: http://www.cites.org/

Forest Stewardship Council (FSC): http://www.fsc.org/

The FSC products database (http://info.fsc.org) has

information on FSC-certified manufacturers and distributors

of various wood and paper products.

Data sources on FSC paper: http://www.fsc-paper.org or

http://www.fscus.org/paper

On recycled paper: http://www.blauer-engel.de/en/ or www.

nordic-ecolabel.org

Friends of the Earth – Good Wood Guide: http://www.foe.

co.uk/campaigns/biodiversity/resource/good_wood_guide/

International Network for Bamboo and Rattan (INBAR):

http://www.inbar.int has much useful information on these

plant types.

IUCN Red List of Threatened Species:

http://www.iucnredlist.org/

North American Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI):

http://www.sfiprogram.org/

Programme for Endorsement of Certification:

http://www.pefc.org

TRAFFIC – the wildlife trade monitoring network:

http://www.traffic.org/

WWF – Buyer Beware, a guide to prohibited wildlife

souvenirs: http://worldwildlife.org

WWF – The GFTN Guide to Legal and Responsible Sourcing

http://sourcing.gftn.panda.org/

While the information presented in this factsheet was

believed to be correct at the time of going to press in

2012, it may have changed since then. Hoteliers are

advised to check local and international regulations and

recommendations on the products discussed here.

104

An enormous range of plants (and animals) is used in

medicines, cosmetics and perfumery. Many, particularly

those used in traditional and phyto medicines, are collected

from the wild. If managed sustainably, collection of wild

plants for these purposes can provide an important livelihood

for people in rural areas where there may be few other ways of

making a living. Often, however, collection is not managed on

a sustainable basis, leading to deterioration of the populations

of the species concerned (sometimes to the point where

populations are no longer viable) and loss of livelihoods and

the basis for the healthcare for many local people.

It is difficult, however, to provide clear-cut guidance on

which products to avoid and which to use. This is because:

• With many finished products, particularly natural

medicines, it is commonly not possible to tell what the

constituents are. Even where products are labelled with

their constituents, the labelling may give insufficient

information, be hard to understand or be misleading –

although in the last case often because rarer or more

expensive constituents, which may be a cause for

concern, have been substituted by commoner, cheaper

ones, which are unlikely to be so. Often, it is not stated

whether the ingredients are from cultivation or wild

collection, nor from which country they originate.

• Even where the identity of the constituents can be

ascertained, we often do not know enough to be able

to say whether their harvest and use (if they are wild-

collected) is sustainable or not.

• Some standards/guidelines exist in the fair trade, organic

and forest sectors. While some of them address wild

collection to some degree, mostly they neglect the

ecological aspects of sustainability, such as resource

assessment. However, attempts are being made to

remedy this, most significantly the FairWild Standard

Version 2.0” that is based on an International Standard

for Sustainable Wild Collection of Medicinal and Aromatic

Plants (ISSC-MAP). This Standard was published in 2007,

and was developed by the Medicinal Plant Specialist

Group of IUCN, WWF, TRAFFIC and the German Federal

Agency for Nature Conservation BfN, with support from

a multi-stakeholder group. It is currently being tested

in a variety of field projects and the ISSC-MAP merged

with the FairWild Standard to include social aspects.

The standard applies to wild plant collection operations

wishing to demonstrate their commitment to sustainable

collection, social responsibility and fair trade principles.

Its purpose is to ensure the continued use and long-

term survival of wild species and populations in their

habitats, while respecting the traditions and cultures, and

supporting the livelihoods of all stakeholders, in particular

collectors and workers. See http://www.fairwild.org.

Species of particular concern

A number of plant and animal species that are mainly in

international trade as perfumes, medicines or aromatics are

included in the CITES Appendices. Almost all are in Appendix

II, which means that commercial international trade is legal

but regulated, with exporting countries having an obligation

to ensure that harvest for trade is sustainable (although, for

most species, finished products packaged for the retail trade

are exempt from CITES regulations). However for many such

species there is good evidence that harvest and trade are

poorly regulated and often not sustainable. Some of these

species, such as the Asiatic yews (Taxus spp.) and the African

cherry (Prunus africana), and currently, to a lesser extent –but

from the Caribbean region- lignum-vitae (Guaiacum spp.) are

used primarily by the pharmaceutical industry to produce

drugs for clinical treatment and are very unlikely to be met

with in a hotel context. Others, however, may well feature in

toiletries and cosmetics, or in general tonics that may be sold

over the counter.

CITES-listed species that provide products that might be

used, and that should be treated with caution include:

TRAFFIC RECOMMENDS

Factsheet 8: Medicinal and aromatic plants for amenities and spa products

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Factsheet 8 continued

ANIMALS

• Marine Turtles (Cheloniidae spp.), whose oil is often

offered in souvenir shops, or stalls and businesses selling

traditional medicine products in the Caribbean. It is used

as an ingredient in cosmetics, skin creams and soap,

as a treatment for respiratory ailments, aphrodisiac, as

well as to treat skin conditions and other illnesses. This

should be avoided and may be illegal in many Caribbean

countries.

• Iguanas (Iguana spp. and Ctenosaura spp.), both the

meat and eggs are used for food, and considered to

have aphrodisiac and medicinal properties. The legal and

sustainable origin of any green iguana (Iguana iguana) oil

found for sale should be questioned: it is used to treat

rheumatism, bone strengthening, and bruises and is

commonly found in local markets in the Caribbean region,

less frequently in the tourism industry. Iguana spp.

and four Ctenosaura species (spiny-tailed iguanas) are

included in CITES Appendix II.

• Coral (Scleractinia spp.) Coral calcium is best avoided. It

has been promoted as an alternative treatment or cure for

a number of health conditions, including cancer. There is

no medical evidence to support these claims, and coral

calcium has been identified by the US Food and Drug

Administration as a “Fake Cancer ‘Cure”. The National

Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine

has issued a consumer advisory concerning false and

misleading marketing claims associated with coral

calcium supplements. Coral calcium is marketed also as

a dietary supplement, but its benefits over other calcium

supplements are unproven and several traders have been

found guilty of fraud. Furthermore, an estimated 60%

of the world’s coral reefs are at risk (http://pdf.wri.org/

reefs_at_risk_revisited_executive_summary.pdf).

PLANTS

• Spikenard (Nardostachys grandiflora), which is

used in perfumery, incense and herbal medicines,

is often overharvested. Use only if verified from a

sustainable source.

• Lignum-vitae (Guaiacum spp.) is claimed to have

medicinal properties. The heartwood and isolated resin of

species such as G. officinale (distributed throughout the

Caribbean) is used as a laxative, an antidote for poison,

to improve the appetite, a remedy for gonorrhoea,

syphilis, coughs, tuberculosis and to treat gout and

rheumatism. The medicinal products of Guaiacum

are generally by-products of the timber trade, and the

medicinal market for these species has significantly

decreased in recent years. However, if included as

an ingredient in medicinal products such as “celery

complex” and “Rheumatic Pain”; verify if it comes from a

sustainable source.

• Agarwood (Aquilaria spp. and Gyrinops spp.), which is

used in perfumery, is often overharvested, although some

now comes from plantations. Use only if verified from a

sustainable source.

• Kutki (Picrorhiza kurrooa), which is used in herbal

medicines, is quite resistant to overharvest.

However, Picrorhiza kurrooa royle is closely related

to Neopicrorhiza scrophulariiflora, both of which are

traded under the same name (kutki). Today, the bulk of

international trade in kutki is said to be mainly air-dried

rhizomes of Neopicrorhiza scrophulariiflora originating

from Nepal, where it is classified as Highly Vulnerable,

although the government there recently lifted a ban on

its collection under strict guidelines.

• Aloe (Aloe spp. - except Aloe vera). Aloe extract is used

in a wide range of skin lotions and treatments. The great

majority comes from cultivated Aloe vera and is of no

conservation concern. In Eastern and Southern Africa,

some wild aloe is harvested for processing, and care

should be taken with products from this region to ensure

that they originate from a sustainable source.

• Ginseng (Panax ginseng – only the Russian population

is listed under CITES – and P. quinquefolius). This plant

is very widely used in its pure form and as a mixture

in tonics and herbal medicines. It originates from

wild-collected (the most sought-after and often over-

harvested), ‘wood-grown’ (stock grown semi-naturally)

and cultivated plants. The American Herbal Products

Association (www.ahpa.org) has guidelines for harvest.

Suppliers from North America should only be used if they

adhere to these guidelines.

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• Hoodia (Hoodia spp.) is increasingly widely available as

a dietary supplement to promote weight loss, although

many earlier traded products are probably illegal. Mostly

wild collected in southern Africa, there has been a shift

to cultivation with government-supported schemes

to ensure a sustainable harvest. Any products should

eventually be labelled to say they were produced from

Hoodia spp. material obtained through controlled

harvesting and production in collaboration with the

CITES Management Authorities of Botswana/Namibia/

South Africa, although the legislation to introduce this

regulation has yet to be finalised. Currently, international

trade in Hoodia spp. must be accompanied by

appropriate CITES documentation.

• Red sanders (Pterocarpus santalinus), which is chiefly

used as a food colorant. This plant is unlikely to be

encountered but avoid it if so, as controls on harvest and

trade currently appear inadequate.

Practical advice

Although CITES regulations, global or national redlists and

national protected species lists and laws can be checked,

it is simply not practicable for end-users to ensure the

sustainability of harvest of all the constituents of all the

products they might use.

The best approach at present is to use only reputable

suppliers. Several of the high-profile natural products

suppliers have their own policies concerning the social and

environmental impacts of their businesses. These should

be assessed before entering into contracts with them. Such

policies may be stronger on social than on environmental

issues, but large-scale buyers have the opportunity to

influence suppliers by asking questions about environmental

sustainability, and particularly sourcing of ingredients.

There may also be opportunities to influence things

positively. In a number of countries, there are funded

programmes or small-scale private enterprise initiatives

that promote development of plant-based products (often

essential oils, soaps and perfumes) as a way of providing

livelihoods for local people. Hotels can potentially serve as

valuable partners for such enterprises, raising their profile

and providing outlets for the products. However, each such

enterprise would have to be judged on a case-by-case

basis. Locally based conservation or development NGOs or

field offices of intergovernmental organisations such as FAO

and UNDP, may be in a position to offer advice (although

more than one opinion should always be solicited).

Sources of further information

American Herbal Products Association:

http://www.ahpa.org

CITES: http://www.cites.org

Institute of Ayurveda and Integrative Medicine (I-AIM) – an

Indian NGO of most relevance to that country, but with

experience that could be useful elsewhere:

http://www.iaim.edu.in

IUCN Medicinal Plant Specialist Group:

http://www.iucn.org/themes/ssc/sgs/mpsg/

TRAFFIC: www.traffic.org

FairWild Foundation and FairWild Standard (available in

various languages including Spanish and English):

http://www.fairwild.org/

While the information presented in this factsheet was

believed to be correct at the time of going to press in

2012, it may have changed since then. Hoteliers are

advised to check local and international regulations and

recommendations on the products discussed here.

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There are many species that are illegal to purchase and keep

in live animal displays. Some will be illegal under national

legislation, whilst international trade in some species may be

in contravention of CITES.

GLOBAL AQUARIUM TRADE

The majority of the global aquarium trade is legitimate.

However, an illegal trade in these often-expensive marine

creatures does exist. It is difficult to identify many of the

species involved, and buyers should pay particular attention

to the following groups of species, and make sure that they

are buying from reputable suppliers who can vouch for their

stock’s provenance. The Marine Aquarium Council (MAC)

provides a certification system that provides the industry

with a set of internationally approved environmental and

quality standards. Where possible, try to use suppliers who

are part of this scheme.

The Caribbean has a wealth of marine species suitable for

the live ornamental reef trade, and many species collected

in the wild for this trade are found in the region. Caribbean

reefs are among the most degraded worldwide, and such

collection could lead to a further decline of reef health, and

perhaps accelerate the transition from a coral-dominated

to algal-dominated reef. Currently the Caribbean region

supplies a small percentage of the international demand

for ornamental reef species in aquaria, although there is

evidence the trade is rising in the region. It is vital any such

development of the industry is carried out sustainably, with

development of appropriate management strategies.

• Tropical fish: More than 500 million live tropical fish are

traded each year as part of the aquarium trade, largely

from the Pacific and Asia. The most traded marine

aquarium fish are the damselfishes (Pomacentridae),

surgeonfishes (Acanthuridae), wrasses (Labridae), gobies

(Gobiidae) and angelfishes (Pomacanthidae). Indonesia

and the Philippines supply more than half of the global

marine ornamental fish trade. The most important fishes

from the Caribbean that are collected for live trade are

angelfish (six species), royal gramma, jawfish, queen

triggerfish, redlip blenny, puddingwife, bluehead wrasse,

and blue chromis.

• Seahorses: With their fascinating biology and unusual

appearance and behaviour, seahorses are popular for

aquariums. However, they are difficult to keep, and

generally require experience and attention in order for

them to thrive. The large demand for seahorses for

traditional medicine and the pet trade, and various

environmental factors, have led to the serious decline of

many seahorse species. Most seahorses kept in aquaria

are taken from the wild, putting further pressure on

these populations. In November 2002, CITES included

all seahorse species in Appendix II, meaning any

international trade is strictly regulated and requires the

appropriate CITES documentation. In addition, many

countries have stronger domestic measures in relation to

the seahorse trade (see the Project Seahorse website for

further information, http://seahorse.fisheries.ubc.ca).

In the Caribbean there are two species of seahorses that

are collected for the trade in live ornamental reef fish for

international and domestic use in aquaria. Many seahorse

species are classified as globally Threatened, and the

keeping of these species should be avoided.

• Giant clams and corals: Indonesia and Fiji are the largest

suppliers of live coral. Over-harvesting of corals is a

problem in some areas, and an illegal coral trade exists.

As for giant clams, although wild populations are in decline,

farmed specimens are becoming increasingly available.

All giant clams and hard corals are listed in CITES

Appendix II, which means their international trade is

regulated and permitted only when the country of origin can

determine and demonstrate adherence to a quota, such

that the trade doesn’t impact negatively on wild populations.

Although most Caribbean nations prohibit the collection

of stony corals for trade, some species from the region

occasionally appeared in U.S. markets during the 1990s.

In the Caribbean there is evidence of coral trade collected

locally, sometimes illegally. Most of the corals collected are

not for live specimens, but for dried ornamental use or for

jewellery. A coral farm was established in 2000 to propagate

stony corals and sea fans collected from Dominica, with the

first exports occurring in 2003.

TRAFFIC RECOMMENDS

Factsheet 9: Live animals

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AVIARIES

Wild birds: Millions of birds, both wild and captive-bred, are

traded legally within the cage and aviary market. However,

there are import bans on wild-caught species into the United

States and the European Union, as well as export bans

in some countries for whole groups of birds, for example

psittacines (parrots, amazons, macaws and parakeets)

in Mexico and many Central American and Caribbean

countries. Many bird species are listed in the CITES

Appendices, meaning international trade in wild specimens is

regulated or not permitted, depending which Appendix they

are listed in. These species include:

• Almost all species of parrot, including parakeets,

amazons, cockatoos and macaws. The only species

from the parrot family that are not listed under CITES are

rosy-faced lovebird (Agapornis roseicollis), budgerigar

(Melopsittacus undulates), cockatiel (Nymphicus

hollandicus) and rose-ringed parakeet (Psittacula krameri).

In some countries like Mexico, the collection and trade

in all parrot species – if native – is forbidden and even

transactions (both at a national and international level,

and from and to the country) concerning captive-bred

native specimens are currently banned.

This approach is becoming more widespread in the

region; recently several Central American and Caribbean

countries, such as the Dominican Republic, have

prohibited the collection and export of wild-caught

psittacine species. Many Caribbean nations are home to

rare and endemic birds such as Amazon parrots that are

sometimes captured illegally to be kept as pets or sold

into trade and sometimes smuggled out of the country. It

is best to avoid buying native parrots to display in hotels

in the lobby or gardens as a feature of interest. There are

many laws that would need to be checked regarding the

origins of such birds to ensure they are legal. Although

some parrots are captive bred, there is always a concern

that wild caught birds are being sold as legally owned

and captive bred. Additionally, sometimes wild parrot

chicks are collected (usually illegally) from nests to sell

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to tourists, often resulting in the death of some of them

through lack of adequate care.

The trade does not just affect parrots: many species of

birds of prey such as hawks and eagles are captured and

on occasions are exhibited in cages in hotel gardens or for

tourists to take their picture with the bird(s). Other groups

popular for this activity include:

• Turacos, colourful fruit-eating birds from Africa;

• Toucans, the unmistakeable large-billed birds from South

and Central America and the Caribbean;

• Cranes; and

• Many species that are regarded as globally threatened,

i.e. appear on the IUCN Red List.

Despite existing legislation, there is still a lucrative illegal

bird trade. Consequently, if purchasing birds for an aviary,

try to only source birds that are known to be captive-bred or

from a legal and sustainable source, and avoid purchasing

threatened species (see http://www.birdlife.org/datazone/

species/). If birds originated in another country and the

species is included in the CITES Appendices, make sure the

birds were imported in compliance with CITES requirements.

REPTILES

The live reptile trade is huge, and is less regulated than

the trade in wild birds. The trade in freshwater turtles and

tortoises for the pet trade is a particular concern, with many

of these animals traded illegally. Tortoises in particular

are popular pets and it is increasingly difficult to find a

legal supply. Tortoises are also regularly stolen from their

owners or zoos and resold into the trade as prices can be

high for the larger and rarer specimens. In the Caribbean

region, species such as green iguanas (Iguana iguana)

and spiny-tailed iguanas (Ctenosaura spp.) are often used

in hotel displays, and trade in them is usually legal and

sustainable. However, the Caribbean is home to a wide

range of threatened and unique iguana species, some of

them critically endangered, like the Anegada Iguana (Cyclura

pinguis) and Blue Iguana (Cyclura lewisi). Some of the rarer

species are targets for illegal collectors and traders, who

sometimes pretend to be tourists and smuggle the reptiles

back with them onto a cruise ship. If iguanas or other reptiles

are to be used for displays or another purpose, make sure

they come either from an approved captive breeding facility

or from a sustainable source, and that they comply with

national legislation. Some of these species are included

in CITES , so if brought from another country, verify they

comply with the necessary requirements.

Sources of further information

Australian wildlife import/export guidelines:

http://www.environment.gov.au

BirdLife International, list of globally threatened bird species

with factsheets: http://www.birdlife.org/datazone/species/

CITES: http://www.cites.org/

CITES – listed species:

http://www.cites.org/eng/app/appendices.shtml

DEFRA – UK import rules search:

http://importdetails.defra.gov.uk/

IUCN Red List of Threatened Species:

http://www.iucnredlist.org/

Marine Aquarium Council: http://www.aquariumcouncil.org/

Project Seahorse: http://seahorse.fisheries.ubc.ca/

TRAFFIC – the wildlife trade monitoring network:

http://www.traffic.org/

US Fish and Wildlife Service – permits, FAQs, etc.:

http://www.fws.gov/permits/

http://www.fws.gov/permits/faqs/FaqA.shtml

Wildlife trade in the EU: http://www.eu-wildlifetrade.org/

Mexican wildlife legislation (Cámara de Diputados H.

Congreso de la Unión): http://www.diputados.gob.mx/

LeyesBiblio/pdf/146.pdf

While the information presented in this factsheet was

believed to be correct at the time of going to press in

2012, it may have changed since then. Hoteliers are

advised to check local and international regulations and

recommendations on the products discussed here.

Factsheet 9 continued

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Certain souvenirs and fashion items that could potentially

be stocked in hotel shops may contain mammal and bird

products such as ivory, fur, feathers or turtle shell (see

Factsheet 11). In addition to the more obvious products

made from threatened animals, there are also a large

number of souvenirs and other items made from protected

reptiles, fish and plants. Many of these products are illegal,

because the species they are made from are protected

under national or international laws (such as CITES).

Consequently, trade in many of these species is restricted

or prohibited, often with tough penalties for breaching these

laws. Other products may require the importer (in the case

of travellers, the person who purchased the item) to have the

correct to have the correct export permits. However, there

are some exemptions under CITES for personal items such

as some tourist souvenirs that will not need a CITES permit,

but please check it is still legal under national legislation.

It is important to mention that domestic regulations in this

regard often vary from one country to another, and some

could prohibit any exports under this exemption, while

others could have a lower limit on the quantity allowed by

CITES to be exported (as each country has the right to apply

stricter domestic measures to those of CITES). An example

is that CITES recommends that tourists can export up to 3

conch shells as personal items to take home following their

international vacation. Some countries support this policy

but others don’t, so it is difficult for the tourist to be sure

without checking all the laws of the country they are visiting

and their home country too.

In addition, the importation into the United States, for

example, of any wildlife and their parts or products is

prohibited if the animal was captured, taken, shipped or

possessed in any manner violating the laws of the country in

which it was taken.

IVORY PRODUCTS

Ivory-based items might include:

• Ivory jewellery;

• Carvings or figurines made from elephant ivory and

hippopotamus teeth;

• Carved and etched whale teeth (scrimshaw); and

• Carved items such as piano keys from elephant ivory.

Items made from elephant tusks (ivory of both Asian and

African elephants) are normally illegal to import and export

commercially unless it can be proven to be antique and have

CITES permits. However, there are exceptions to this rule:

in Namibia, local sale and international export in individually

marked and certified ‘ekipas’ incorporated in finished

jewellery is legal, as is sale and export of ivory carvings in

Zimbabwe— provided it is non-commercial in both cases

and has CITES permits for export. Note that trade in items

made from other elephant parts (hides, hair, leather goods)

is allowed for sale and export, under certain provisos, in

Botswana, Namibia, South Africa and Zimbabwe. Many of

the toothed whale species used for carvings into curios and

art pieces are prohibited from commercial trade.

Besides the “real” ivory products made from the teeth of

elephants and hippos, there are also sustainable natural

ivory substitutes that are sometimes used to produce similar

products. An example of these is the vegetable ivory, or

ivory nuts, which are primarily the nuts of the Tagua palm

tree (Phytelephas macrocarpa). Tagua trees are distributed

in northern South America, and the mature nut, which can

reach the size of an apple, has an extremely white, very

hard cellulose kernel, which is worked like ivory. Products

made out of the Tagua palm nuts are sometimes offered to

tourists in the Caribbean region, and a CITES permit is not

required to transport them into a different country. However,

caution should be taken to make sure they are truly made

out of Tagua nuts. Other ivory substitutes that could be

found in Caribbean markets are bones and shells, as well as

synthetic ivory.

FUR

International trade in items made using the skins or fur of

the world’s wild cats, including tigers, jaguars, leopards,

ocelots, margays and leopard cats is either strictly regulated

or, in many cases, prohibited under CITES and under

national legislation. Fur from other threatened animal

species is often illegal too, although the situation can be

quite complex. There are a range of legal and sustainably

sourced furs used for the coat and fashion industry (such

as mink and rabbit), although many people have moral

TRAFFIC RECOMMENDS

Factsheet 10: Wildlife-based souvenirs

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concerns over fur farming arising from dedicated campaigns

in the past criticizing fur use in fashion. It is always

worthwhile checking which species of animal the fur came

from and if it is regulated in international trade or locally.

WILD BIRDS

In most instances, travellers cannot purchase a wild bird to

take back home with them to another country. However, some

species of wild-caught birds can be imported into certain

countries (e.g. the United States if they are part of federally-

approved management plans for the sustainable use of the

species) and are accompanied by the correct paperwork.

Of more relevance to the hotel shop, however, is that

feathers or parts of protected species of birds (including

eggs) cannot be imported into many countries. This applies

to stuffed specimens and decorative objects that include

feathers. An additional problem is that it is difficult to tell

whether feathers are from protected species.

SHAHTOOSH AND OTHER WOOLS

Shahtoosh is the wool of the Chiru or Tibetan antelope. The

animals are killed to obtain the wool, and the demand led to

a massive decline in the species’ wild population. Chiru were

listed in Appendix I of CITES in 1979, and items made from

shahtoosh wool are illegal. A legal alternative to shahtoosh

is pashmina, a type of cashmere wool from a Himalayan

mountain goat also renowned for the quality of its wool.

Vicuña, a wild south America camel, has a similarly-prized

coat. The species suffered massive population declines last

century because animals were killed for their wool, but following

conservation measures, numbers have recovered well and

animals are now rounded up to be shorn rather than killed.

As a result, trade in certified Vicuña wool items is permitted.

BUTTERFLIES (Lepidoptera)

Many species of butterflies in the family Papilionidae

(birdwings and swallowtails) are listed in the CITES

Appendices, and consequently commercial trade in them

is either restricted or not allowed. Mounted butterflies are

often sold as decorative items, but there can be difficulties

in identifying individual species and determining which are

protected or not. However, some mounted butterfly souvenirs

can come from legal and sustainable sources and actually

support some local communities livelihoods. If the source can

be assured, for example by being already accompanied by a

CITES permit, an original certification from the government, or

even a reliable organization, you can proceed and buy them.

In some countries, all butterflies are protected under national

law and it’s important to check before selling these items in

hotel shops. Note that similar guidelines apply to mounted

insects/arachnids of protected species.

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CAVIAR

Caviar is the unfertilized roe (eggs) of the sturgeon and

paddlefish. The most highly prized is Beluga caviar from the

Beluga sturgeon (found largely in the Caspian Sea), which

fetches extremely high retail prices (thousands of dollars

per kilogram). As well as the legitimate trade, there is also

a huge illegal trade, thought to be largely controlled by

organised crime syndicates. Consequently, governments

at a CITES meeting in 2000 agreed to a universal labelling

system: all sturgeon caviar now has to bear a non-reusable

label detailing the source and country of origin. Travellers

are generally allowed to bring small amounts of caviar

(up to 125g per person) back into their home country for

personal use without the need of a CITES permit in these

cases. However, in 2005 the U.S. Government banned the

import of wild beluga caviar from the Caspian and Black

Seas. The ban does not cover ossetra or sevruga caviar, or

caviar from farmed sturgeon. Caviar for sale should bear the

appropriate labelling, and customers should be advised as

to their probable customs allowance. A number of cheaper

caviar substitutes from non-threatened species (such as

Avruga, made from herring roe) are also available. For more

information on caviar, please go to Factsheet 6.

CORAL

Many corals are prized for the beautiful colours and shapes

of their skeletons (corals are not plants, but marine animals

closely related to sea anemones and jellyfish). Coral

skeletons are widely sold in coastal resorts as decorative

souvenirs, or as part of other products, such as jewellery.

There is also a large trade in live specimens for aquariums.

Some coral species are classified as threatened and listed

in CITES, and coral reefs are an increasingly threatened

habitat. The sale of coral products may hasten the decline of

these delicate ecosystems, thereby endangering the tourist

trade that comes to visit these spectacular natural wonders.

This, coupled with the complication of identifying the coral

species involved, means the sale of coral souvenirs is

inadvisable. For more information on identifying corals see:

http://www.arkive.org/coral/Coral/identifying_corals.html.

TRAFFIC North America published a guide to identification

of precious corals in trade in 2011, see www.traffic.org.

TRAFFIC surveys in recent years in several tourism centres

in the Caribbean found that coral was the most common

wildlife product for sale in the hundreds of stores surveyed.

Jewellery fashioned from pieces of worked, polished coral

were observed in hundreds of stores and pieces could

cost up to several hundred dollars depending on the size

of the beads or coral pieces. A wide variety of necklaces,

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Corallidae

It has become highly fashionable in recent years to wear red and pink coral jewellery. The coral has a characteristic shape, with branched structures. Another commonly observed coral, often referred to as red sponge coral or red soft coral, is from the genus Melithaea. Its skeleton is often spongy and brittle and is usually impregnated with a resin of some type to give it a smooth and slight shiny surface. Bamboo coral (Isis) is a gorgonian coral, named because it grows in a joined form that resembles the canes of bamboo. It is often dyed a rich red colour or sometimes light pink.

Black corals in the genus Antipathes are widely distributed globally and although generally known as deep sea corals, they are found at all depths within reefs. All the black corals (Order Antipatharia, some 66 species) are listed in CITES Appendix II, including two species found only in the Caribbean: Antipathes caribbeana and Antipathes pennacea. Any tourists purchasing black coral items will normally need a CITES permit to take them back home, although some countries may have exceptions for a small number of

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Factsheet 10 continued

bracelets, rings, earrings and pendants are available in

stores ranging from high end jewellery shops to sidewalk

stalls. There are four general types of coral typically

available: Red and pink corals (Corallidae), Sponge coral

(Melithaea), Bamboo coral (Isis) and Black coral (Antipathes).

Of these four types, only species of black coral are native to

the Caribbean (i.e. naturally distributed in the region).

MARINE TURTLE PRODUCTS

There are seven species of marine turtles worldwide, and

all are listed in Appendix I of CITES, meaning international

trade is prohibited. There are also numerous national laws

protecting these species. Marine turtle products that are

sometimes offered illegally for sale include:

• Jewellery (such as bracelets, necklaces, earrings, etc.);

• Trinkets (such as cigarette lighter covers)

made from tortoiseshell;

• Whole shells;

• Stuffed whole mounted turtle specimens;

• Eggs for food items and folklore remedies; and

• Oil for moisturizer etc.

Note that trade in many species of freshwater turtles and

tortoises is also prohibited. Due to the difficulty in identifying

the different species involved, the stocking of all turtle/tortoise

products should be avoided unless the source is known to

be legitimate (e.g. a licensed supplier of farmed animals).

See Factsheet 11 for more information on Caribbean marine turtles.

PLANTS

Plants are used in so many products and come from so many

diverse sources that it is very challenging to provide any hard

and fast rules on what is best to buy or best to avoid. The

majority of plants and products made from them found in

trade are not a concern in terms of sustainability or legality.

But certain wild plants, particularly orchids, cacti and cycads,

both as dried specimens and as live plants, are protected

under CITES and require the appropriate documentation

to be internationally traded. There are also many wild plant

species that are protected under national laws and should

not be removed from the wild. In CITES, there are some

exemptions for trade in certain plants and products made

from them, such as orchids grown in nurseries. It is quite

complicated and for the average international traveller often

too difficult to determine what the rules are. In general plants

grown artificially are not a concern in terms of controls and

regulations and sustainability issues. Plants grown artificially

are usually quite easy to recognize from those collected

in the wild. The propagated ones generally do not show

damage, look very healthy and they often all look the same in

terms of size, shape and quality. It is important for travellers

to also be aware that plant species are also banned from

being imported by some countries to stop the spread of

plant diseases, or because the species involved is known to

specimens if you personal use only (e.g. in Mexico an exemption allows for a maximum of 2 specimens per person). Nevertheless, some countries do have stricter rules, so it is recommended to find out more about the relevant national regulations. A TRAFFIC market survey in the Mexican Caribbean in 2007, found some black coral necklaces, bracelets and figurines bearing a tag with a government hologram sticker to demonstrate they were from a management scheme for authenticating and controlling the amount of trade in black coral. However, it is recommended to check such certification schemes, as in this case the tags were no longer valid.

Research by TRAFFIC has shown that many corals, including black coral, are imported into the Caribbean from Asia (Indonesia, Taiwan etc.) as demand is not being met or is being regulated from local sources. Tourists should be aware that although coral products may be openly and widely offered for sale in the region, that does not indicate they are from sustainable sources and furthermore, their export may be illegal. There are many wonderful sustainable alternatives as gifts or souvenirs that aren’t potentially harmful to the environment.

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be invasive. All imports of plants must therefore be free of

pests-, soil- and disease. There are many great examples of

plants and plant products that are sustainable and wise to

sell and buy. The best advice is to avoid wild collected plants

and products made from them unless there is information

about their sustainability and legality or it is clear that what is

for sale is commonly available and is not problematic.

RAMIN

Ramin is a tropical lowland hardwood from southeast Asia,

prized for its fine grain and easy wood-working qualities.

The tree is a key plant in the survival of orang-utans and is

now listed by CITES. As such, permits are required to import

it. Ramin is commonly used in items such as snooker cues,

blinds, picture frames and tool handles, as well as furniture.

Where possible, when sourcing wood products, retailers

should attempt to find out which woods are featured, and

whether they came from a sustainable source. There are

a number of sustainable timber certification programmes,

including the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), briefly

explained in Factsheet 7.

REPTILE SKIN

Some reptiles (e.g. various crocodilian species) are used

to supply leather for fashion items such as shoes, wallets,

handbags and watchbands. Many manufacturers work with

skins from sustainably managed reptile species such as the

American alligator, but some snakes, crocodiles and lizards

are protected and may be subject to trade restrictions. In

addition to CITES regulations, some countries also have

strict import or export controls on certain species – for

instance goods made from native reptile skins would be

illegal in India, and the EU has a number of regulations

pertaining to the import of reptile skin products.

Suppliers should therefore check before buying and

stocking reptile products that they have come from a

legitimate source. Theoretically, luxury reptile-skin products

(such as handbags and shoes) should come from legitimate

captive-bred or ‘ranched’ (eggs or hatchlings taken from the

wild) sources. However, tourists taking such items back into

their own country always face the risk of having such items

confiscated by customs officials unless accompanied by the

proper export documentation. Shop managers should look

into local regulations so that customers can be reassured

that they are purchasing legitimate items.

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SEAHORSES

Seahorses are popularly sold as dried curios, exported

as live animals for aquariums, and used as ingredients in

many traditional medicines (as indicated in Fact Sheet 10).

Numbers of many species are thought to be in serious

decline. Consequently, in November 2002, CITES added

all species of seahorse to Appendix II, thereby regulating

international trade. Trade is allowed, but only if a country

can provide evidence that such activities will not threaten

wild populations. Under CITES, there is an exemption

on permit requirements if the dried seahorses are to be

exported as personal items, not exceeding four specimens

per person. However, many countries have their own

additional laws in relation to this exemption (e.g., Mexico

only allows 2 specimens per person). The EU requires

import declarations for whole dead seahorses. As a result,

the sale of dried seahorse curios, as well as medicines

containing seahorse products, is best avoided. For further

information, see the Project Seahorse web site: http://

seahorse.fisheries.ubc.ca/

SEASHELLS

Seashells are harvested in great quantities to be sold as

decorative tourist items. Some species are listed by CITES

in Appendix II, thereby regulating international trade in

them. For example, the queen conch, a beautiful rose-pink

shellfish from the Caribbean, was listed in 2003, due to its

rapid decline. Although the shell is largely a by-product of

fishing (the conch is a popular seafood product), the sale of

the shell as a curio for export would be prohibited without

appropriate CITES documentation. However, there is a

CITES exemption for up to three shells per person, although

some countries might have stricter domestic measures in

this respect (e.g., Mexico, which allows only 2 specimens

per person). Nonetheless, it is highly recommended to find

out if seashell products come from sustainable stocks of

non-protected species.

SHARK TEETH

Shark teeth made into necklaces or pendants, or mounted

shark jaws, are common souvenirs in many coastal resorts

around the world. Many species of shark are declining

through over-fishing, either as by-catch or through targeted

fishing for the shark-fin industry. The great white shark and

all species of sawfish are listed in CITES (plus two non-

toothed species, the basking shark and the whale shark).

Teeth of a great white shark would therefore require the

appropriate CITES documentation for export if not personal

items (note each country might have different quantity limits

for this exemption to apply). The peculiar saw-like snouts

(‘rostrums’) on sawfishes are sometimes sold as souvenirs,

however, all sawfishes are critically endangered and (with

one exception) listed in Appendix I of CITES (for which no

exemptions apply). Under current legislation, export of all

sawfish rostrums is prohibited, and such threatened species

are also likely to be protected under national legislation.

Sources of further information

Australian wildlife import/export guidelines:

http://www.environment.gov.au

CITES: http://www.cites.org/

CITES Res. Conf. 13.7 (Rev. CoP 14) on Control of trade in

personal and household effects: http://www.cites.org/eng/

res/13/13-07R14C15.shtml

DEFRA – UK import rules search:

http://importdetails.defra.gov.uk/

Forest Stewardship Council (FSC): http://www.fsc.org

IUCN Red List of Threatened Species:

http://www.iucnredlist.org/

TRAFFIC – the wildlife trade monitoring network:

http://www.traffic.org/

US Fish and Wildlife Service – permits, FAQs, etc.:

http://www.fws.gov/permits/

Wildlife trade in the EU: http://www.eu-wildlifetrade.org/

WWF – Buyer Beware, a guide to prohibited wildlife

souvenirs: http://www.worldwildlife.org/what/globalmarkets/

wildlifetrade/buyersbeware.html

While the information presented in this factsheet was

believed to be correct at the time of going to press in

2012, it may have changed since then. Hoteliers are

advised to check local and international regulations and

recommendations on the products discussed here.

Factsheet 10 continued

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Six species of marine turtles occur in the Caribbean

region: the loggerhead turtle (Caretta caretta), green turtle

(Chelonia mydas), hawksbill turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata),

Kemp’s ridley turtle (Lepidochelys kempii), olive ridley turtle

(Lepidochelys olivacea), and leatherback turtle (Dermochelys

coriacea), all of them are considered at risk of extinction

by IUCN. Consequently, all commercial international trade

of marine turtles is prohibited under CITES. Throughout

the Caribbean marine turtles have varying degrees of legal

protection. However, the region has a long history of use of

marine turtles, both for local consumption (turtle eggs, meat

and oil) and for crafting into ornamental products such as

jewellery, mainly for the tourist market.

MARINE TURTLE MEAT, EGGS AND OIL

Historically, marine turtle meat has been consumed as food

and as an aphrodisiac by diverse indigenous groups in the

Caribbean. Nowadays, its use is strictly regulated, although

in some Caribbean countries the limited local capture and

consumption of marine turtle meat is permitted under local

controls. In the Cayman Islands, meat from a turtle farm is

sold locally and served in the farm and at local restaurants.

However, the sale of meat is generally forbidden although

it is sometimes offered at restaurants catering to locals

and tourists, and sold at butcheries and fish markets even

at the risk of sanctions to customers or the imposition of

fines or even the closure of the business. Despite being

strictly regulated or prohibited, the harvesting of marine

turtle eggs from nesting beaches for human consumption is

widespread in the Caribbean. This activity is mostly driven

by the traditional belief that marine turtle eggs are a source

of strength and have aphrodisiac properties. The eggs have

an extremely high fat and cholesterol content. Turtle oil is

usually presented in bottles labelled “Aceite de Tortuga”

or “Aceite de caguama” in Spanish speaking countries,

and offered in souvenir shops, or stalls and businesses

selling traditional medicine products. Turtle oil is used as

an ingredient in cosmetics, skin creams and soap, as a

treatment for respiratory ailments, as an aphrodisiac, and

to treat skin conditions and other illnesses, despite a lack

of supporting medical evidence for its effectiveness. Buying

and selling such products is also very likely to be illegal

under local legislation.

MARINE TURTLE LEATHER PRODUCTS

Marine turtle leather is prepared through the removal of

the shell’s scales, leaving a flat, soft leather. It is used for

the manufacture of items such as purses, wallets, belts

and shoes, but its trade is strictly controlled or prohibited

and might violate national and international regulations

such as CITES.

HAWKSBILL SHELL JEWELLERY AND OTHER

ORNAMENTAL ITEMS

For centuries, craftsmen have worked the thick shell plates

from the Hawksbill Turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata) into

products ranging from simple letter openers to purses,

jewellery boxes and elaborated pieces of jewellery, often

combined with precious metals (gold, silver) and precious

or semiprecious stones. In some instances, juvenile or

sub-adult hawksbill turtles, whose shell scales are too

thin and small for carving, are stuffed and offered for sale

as ornaments. The sale of marine turtle items to tourists

is perpetuating a trade that contravenes international

laws such as CITES and national laws in tourists’ home

countries. A large proportion of purchases made by

tourists are not accompanied by any certification that

legalizes the trade. Even though subsistence fishing of

marine turtles is permitted by law in some countries, the

open sale of Hawksbill Turtle shell items in many tourist

sites is indicative of commercial use, usually in violation

of national legislation. No legal international commercial

trade in Hawksbill Turtles has been permitted since 1992.

Consequently, all marine turtle products are best avoided

at all times.

Sources of further information

CITES: http://www.cites.org/

IUCN Red List of Threatened Species:

http://www.iucnredlist.org/

TRAFFIC – the wildlife trade monitoring network:

http://www.traffic.org/

US Fish and Wildlife Service – permits, FAQs, etc.:

http://www.fws.gov/permits/

Wildlife trade in the EU: http://www.eu-wildlifetrade.org/

TRAFFIC RECOMMENDS

Factsheet 11: Caribbean Marine Turtles

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WWF – Buyer Beware, a guide to prohibited wildlife

souvenirs: http://worldwildlife.org/buyerbeware/

IAC - Inter American Convention for the Protection and

Conservation of Sea Turtles (IAC): www.iacseaturtle.org

SPAW - The Protocol concerning Specially Protected

Areas and Wildlife (SPAW Protocol): www.cep.unep.org/

cartagena-convention/spaw-protocol

TRAFFIC - Turning the tide: exploitation, trade and

management of marine turtles in the Lesser Antilles, Central

America, Colombia and Venezuela: www.traffic.org/species-

reports/traffic_species_reptiles10.pdf

TRAFFIC - Swimming against the Tide: recent surveys of

exploitation, trade, and management of marine turtles in

the Northern Caribbean: www.traffic.org/species-reports/

traffic_species_reptiles21.pdf

TRAFFIC – Tourists, Turtles and Trinkets : a look at the trade

in marine turtle products in the Dominican Republic and

Colombia : www.traffic.org/species-reports/traffic_species_

reptiles9.pdf

While the information presented in this factsheet was

believed to be correct at the time of going to press in

2012, it may have changed since then. Hoteliers are

advised to check local and international regulations and

recommendations on the products discussed here.

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There are two main conservation issues in the use of

horticultural plants: use of plants from the wild, and use of

potentially invasive species.

USE OF PLANTS FROM THE WILD

The vast majority of plants in horticulture are nursery-

grown stock, and their use has no direct impact on wild

populations. In most circumstances, all plants used both

in landscaping and in indoor decoration will be artificially

propagated. There are exceptions, however: in some groups

of plants, wild-collected specimens may appear in the

horticultural trade, in a few cases in significant numbers.

Sometimes, collection of plants for the horticultural trade

may have a negative impact on wild populations or may

have been carried out illegally, so that care should be

exercised when using these species.

Native species

Paradoxically, use of native plants in landscaping, which

is in general a positive thing, may increase the chances

that wild plants are being used. This is because it is

often cheaper to take native plants from the wild than to

propagate them in nurseries, particularly if they are species

that are not widely cultivated. Legislation protecting

wild plants varies greatly from country to country and is

often weak, and plants on private land are very often not

protected at all, although there may be specific regulations

protecting some threatened species.

If you are planning to use native plants in landscaping, try

to ensure that they have been artificially propagated, or that

they have been collected legally and that they come from

a sustainable source. While it may not be easy to ensure

the latter, the best way is to find a supplier whom you trust.

In addition, artificially propagated specimens are usually

quite easy to recognize from those collected in the wild.

The propagated ones do not show excessive damage and

they exhibit a high degree of healthiness, not having algae

or other organisms adhering to their leaves, or damage

by insects or other pests; and in case you find many of

the same kind on sale together, they usually exhibit a high

degree of uniformity within them. A few countries, such

as the UK, which includes its overseas territories (many of

which are in the Caribbean, such as Anguilla, British Virgin

Islands, Cayman Islands, Montserrat, Turks and Caicos

Islands), have voluntary codes of conduct for using native

plants (see reference below) but these are not widespread.

The Caribbean has a great diversity of rare and unusual

plants, some found only on particular islands.

Choosing plants for the hotel garden

Groups where wild plants may appear in the horticultural

trade more frequently than average (both as native plants

and as imports) include: cacti and other succulents; bulbs,

corms and tubers (geophytes); cycads; orchids; ‘air-plants’

(Tillandsia spp.); and tree-ferns. Some of these are included

in the Appendices of CITES, although very few are included

in Appendix I, which means that all commercial international

trade is banned for specimens collected in the wild (not so

for artificially grown specimens as defined by CITES).

• Cacti and succulents: Large or very large cacti and

succulents used in landscaping may sometimes be wild-

collected. In general, however, even large specimens

of the most commonly encountered plants, such as

agaves, yuccas, nolinas, adeniums (desert rose), cereoid

cacti and opuntias (prickly pears – but see below),

are extremely likely to be nursery-grown. It is always

worth checking plants in the following groups, which

are listed in the CITES Appendices: aloes; alluaudias

and didiereas (large succulents from Madagascar in the

family Didiereaceae); cacti (particularly very large barrel

cacti such as Echinocactus and Ferocactus species, and

saguaros, Carnegia gigantea); succulent Euphorbias;

ocotillos (Fouquieria); and pachypodiums. Most species

in these groups are included in CITES Appendix II. A

few species are in CITES Appendix I and banned from

international trade - if specimens are wild-collected - but

these are very unlikely to be encountered. If in any doubt

about legality or source, avoid.

• Bulbs, corms and tubers: Forms that are likely to

be encountered and that may come from wild stock

include snake-lilies or jack-in-the pulpit (Arisaema

spp.); cyclamen (small Cyclamen species, not florists’

cyclamen); snowdrops (Galanthus spp.); blue-bells

(Hyacinthoides spp.); autumn daffodils (Sternbergia spp.);

TRAFFIC RECOMMENDS

Factsheet 12: Horticultural plants

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and wake-robins (Trillium spp.). Of these, cyclamen,

snowdrops and autumn daffodils are listed in CITES

Appendix II, so that international commercial trade is

regulated but not banned. If these are bought, they

should have been imported in conformity with CITES

regulations.

• Cycads: Most cultivated cycads are of one species,

Cycas revoluta (native to Japan) that are widely available

in most places internationally that sell house plants.

Others that are quite commonly grown in the tropics

include Stangeria eriopus, Dioon, Zamia and Macrozamia

species. In many cases, these are not collected from

the wild, but some may be wild-collected (e.g., Zamia

spp. in the Caribbean region), with a number of species

highly threatened. The following, all of which are

included in CITES Appendix I, should be avoided unless

assurances can be obtained that they are artificially

propagated: Cycas beddomei; all Ceratozamia, Chigua

and Encephalartos species; and Microcycas calocoma.

In order to recognize if plants are from the wild or were

grown in a nursery, some characteristics can help to

differentiate one from another. In general, wild-collected

cycads are relatively large, show marks or damage

caused by the extraction, as well as irregularities

caused by the environment, such as imperfections and

curvatures of the stem caused by stones and steep

slopes in their habitat, as well as evidence of burns

caused by fire. In an illegal shipment of plants from the

wild, stems will not be uniform in size. On the other hand,

artificially propagated cycads are easily identified by

having relatively small size and uniform shape, and by

not presenting damaged stems. Nursery plants marketed

legally generally are seedlings or young plants (of no

more than 30 - 40 cm of length of the stem), and never

plants of great size. Plants with a stalk of large (several

meters) are surely collected from their habitat.

• Orchids: Only orchids that are sold as species, rather

than as hybrids or named varieties, may be a problem.

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Factsheet 12 continued

Wild-collected orchids are unlikely to be commonly

encountered, as imports for horticulture (most such

specimens are aimed at specialised collectors). However,

in the tropics, wild-collected native orchids may well

be sold in quite large quantities and often collected

without controls. Purchase and use of these should be

avoided unless assurance exists of their legal origin from

sustainable sources. All orchid species are required to

comply with CITES regulations in order to be exported or

imported (some are even included in Appendix I, which

bans international trade for commercial purposes of wild-

collected specimens).

• Air-plants: Air-plants or Spanish moss (Tillandsia spp.)

may be collected from the wild or grown in semi-wild

conditions. Seven species are listed in CITES Appendix

II. In general, no significant conservation problems

have been identified regarding the trade in air-plants.

However, T. xerographica (gallito) did face conservation

issues in Mesoamerica, as it has been traditionally used

as Christmas decor and was thus heavily exploited for

commercial export purposes. It has since been listed

under CITES Appendix II, and for example in Guatemala,

official procedures have been implemented for its

sustainable use and trade.

• Tree-ferns: Most large tree-ferns have been collected

from the wild or from semi-wild areas. The trade is

generally legal and has not been shown to cause

significant conservation problems.

USE OF POTENTIALLY INVASIVE SPECIES

Many plants that are grown as ornamentals outside their

natural range have the capacity to become serious weeds

and potential threats to biodiversity – indeed a number have

already done so. The capacity of a plant to become invasive

depends on its own biology (particularly its adaptability

and the way it reproduces) but also on the conditions in

the place where it is introduced. There are no definitive or

exhaustive lists of invasive or potentially invasive species,

nor is it easy to predict which species might become

invasive and which not. The most precautionary approach

would be to grow only native species or only plants that

had been demonstrated not to be invasive in the area in

question. However, this is unlikely to be realistic: almost

everywhere, a wide range of cultivated plants is extremely

well-established and most of them do not cause serious

problems. Using these species is unlikely to cause

environmental harm, and often such species are good food

plants for native animals such as butterflies and birds.

However, there are some exceptions. Aquatic plants are

particularly prone to becoming invasives, and native aquatic

species should be used wherever possible. Plants to avoid

include water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes), giant salvinia

(Salvinia molesta) and water cabbage (Limnocharis flava).

Terrestrial ornamentals that have been identified as

invasives in a wide variety of contexts and that should in

general be avoided outside areas where they are native

include: Lantana, giant mimosa (Mimosa pigra), kudzu

vine (Pueraria montana), tamarisk (Tamarix), chinaberry

(Melia azedarach), castor oil plant (Ricinus communis),

privets (Ligustrum), Japanese honeysuckle (Lonicera

japonica), Brazilian peppertree (Schinus terebinthifolius),

Japanese cherry (Hovenia dulcis), prickly pears (Opuntia

spp.), Japanese knotweed (Fallopia japonica), brooms

(notably Spartium junceum, Cytisus scoparius and Genista

monspessulana), casuarinas (Casuarina spp.) and Eucalyptus

spp., among many others.

Introduction of new cultivated plants to an area should

be done with caution, and searches should be carried

out on the global invasive species database (www.issg.

org/database/) and through the Global Invasive Species

Programme website (www.gisp.org) to determine whether

the plants in question have been identified as invasives

anywhere in the world. Plants that have been so identified

should in general be avoided.

The Caribbean region is a particularly valuable centre of

biodiversity where endemism is a common feature among

its flora and fauna, therefore being particularly vulnerable

to the impact of invasive species. According to a project

conducted by Kairo et. al, (2003), and reported to the

Nature Conservancy, a large number of introduced species

occurs in the region, including many different groups of

plant, invertebrates, vertebrates, and microorganisms.

Plants contributed the greatest number of invasive species

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Factsheet 12 continued

registered in the islands. Of a total of 552 species reported

alien to the Caribbean region, 59% (327) were plants,

63% of which have shown to be invasive. Trees species

dominated this group, with at least 220 trees having

been introduced to the region for forestry, agro forestry

or amenity and ornamental purposes, of which more

than 80% have been reported to have established in the

wild with many of these behaving invasively. Among the

invertebrates, the greatest number of species reported was

insects (90 species). The relatively high number of species

reported for this group reflects the importance of many

as agricultural pests. Among the vertebrates, the largest

number of exotic species was fish (35 behaving invasively).

The number of microorganisms (including fungi), reported as

introduced, naturalised or invasive is negligible, which the

study suggests is almost certainly due to under-reporting.

For a complete list of invasive species reported through

this study in the Caribbean islands, see Sources of Further

Information.

An example of an invasive plant that has caused problems

in the Caribbean region is the Casuarina (Australian pine;

Casuarina equisetifolia). It was introduced more than a

century ago in the Neotropics and is now a part of the

landscape. In Barbados, the Bahamas, Grand Cayman

and South Florida, the Casuarina has spread rapidly

along beaches, which, as a result, are being eroded. This

has caused serious economic problems, given that most

Caribbean Islands depend on beach tourism as one of

their principal industries. In addition, Casuarina also affects

marine turtles as they may become entangled in the tree

roots and it is impossible to dig nests. Casuarina has

also affected American crocodile nesting sites adversely.

Furthermore, Casuarina pollen can also cause human

respiratory irritation.

Sources of further information

In the UK and Germany, there are voluntary codes of

practice regarding the use of non-native plants. The

principles in these codes can be applied elsewhere:

• UK code of practice for use of horticultural plants to help

prevent spread of invasives: www.defra.gov.uk/;

• UK code of practice on the use of native plants: www.

floralocale.org; and

• German code of practice for use of horticultural plants

to help prevent spread of invasives: www.g-net.de/

download/Empfehlung-Invasive-Arten.pdf;

CITES and Plants manual (including an overview of plant

groups covererd by CITES):

http://www.kew.org/data/cites.html

A list of plants regulated in international trade can be found

at: www.cites.org.

List of species reported exotic, naturalized and/or invasive

in the Caribbean (pg. 44 - 49 of Report to the Nature

Conservancy “Invasive Species Threats in the Caribbean

Region”: http://www.issg.org/database/species/reference_

files/kairo%20et%20al,%202003.pdf

IUCN Invasive Species Specialist Group (ISSG):

http://www.issg.org/

IUCN Guidelines for the Prevention of Biodiversity Loss

caused by Alien Invasive Species:

http://www.issg.org/pdf/guidelines_iucn.pdf

Regional and extraregional institutions, and programmes

involved in some aspect of invasive species in the

Caribbean (taken from Kairo, et al., 2003):

Barbados Programme of Action:

http://www.unep.ch/islands/dsidspoa.htm; http://www.

antenna.nl/ecsiep/lome/barblome.html

BirdLife International: http://www.birdlife.net/CAB

International: http://www.cabi.org/

Caribbean Conservation Association:

http://www.ccanet.net/

Caribbean Natural Resources Institute:

http://www.canari.org/

Caribbean Network for Integrated Rural Development

(CNIRD): http://www.cnird.org

Caribbean Regional Environment Programme (CREP):

http://crep.ccanet.net/

CARIFORUM: http://cariforum.org/about.htm

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Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations

(FAO): http://www.fao.org

Global Strategy on Invasive Alien Species (GISP):

http://globalecology.stanford.edu/DGE/Gisp/index.html

Inter-American Biodiversity Information Network (IABIN):

http://www.iabin.net/

Island Resources Foundation (IRF): http://www.irf.org/

Organization of American States (OAS): http://www.oas.org/

Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS):

http://www.oecs.org/about.htm

The Association of Caribbean States (ACS):

http://www.acsaec.org/

The Caribbean Community and Common Market

(CARICOM): http://www.caricom.org/

The Nature Conservancy (TNC): http://nature.org

UK OT Environmental Charters: http://www.ukotcf.org/

UK Overseas Territories Conservation Forum:

http://www.ukotcf.org/

UN Economic Commission for Latin America and the

Caribbean– Caribbean Development and Co-operation

Committee (ECLAC): http://www.eclacpos.org/Default.htm

UNEP Caribbean Environment Programme and Cartagena

Convention and SPAW Protocol: http://www.cep.unep.org/

International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN):

http://www.iucn.org

World Wildlife Fund (WWF): http://www.panda.org

While the information presented in this factsheet was

believed to be correct at the time of going to press in

2012, it may have changed since then. Hoteliers are

advised to check local and international regulations and

recommendations on the products discussed here.

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Many tourist activities increasingly involve interaction with

the natural world, as more people become interested in

conservation issues, or wish to experience the thrill of seeing

unfamiliar wildlife close-up. Consequently, many local

companies have sprung up offering eco-tourism and hunting

and fishing opportunities to appeal to visitors. Indeed, many

hotel guests may have chosen to stay in a particular hotel

simply to be close to a particular wildlife-interaction opportunity.

As a result, many of these kinds of activities will be on offer

through the hotel or resort’s tour desk, or local operators

will wish to advertise their services around the hotel.

When choosing which local partners to work with (or when

setting up your own tours), a number of points should be

considered in relation to the effect on local wildlife and the

sustainability of any activities.

WILDLIFE WATCHING

Many types of wildlife are tourist attractions in their own

right. In various parts of the world, there are popular

excursions to watch whales, marine turtles, the African ‘Big

5’ mammals, rare birds and many other creatures. However,

although various voluntary certification programmes are

in place around the world, no global standard exists for

tour operators. As a result, hotel tour desks should try to

ascertain whether the operator adheres to the following

guidelines. Do they:

• Employ knowledgeable guides, where possible from the

local area?

• Ensure that their tours cause minimum disruption and

disturbance to the animals involved (as well as limit

TRAFFIC RECOMMENDS

Factsheet 13: Activities and excursions

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the impact on the wider local environment and to local

cultures and communities)?

• Limit the numbers of participating visitors and the time

they interact with/observe the featured wildlife?

• Provide direct financial or in-kind benefits for

conservation and local people?

• Adhere to local/international regulations in relation to

interaction with protected species?

• Have proper licenses for their activities?

Where possible, it is also worth asking any relevant local/

international conservation organisations if they have

any advice or experience with the operators in question.

Although most eco-tour operators act responsibly, there are

always some that do not – hopefully conservationists will be

aware of which these are.

WHALE, DOLPHIN AND WHALE-SHARK WATCHING/

SWIMMING

In addition to following the above general wildlife watching

guidelines, whale and dolphin and whale-shark watching

(and the observance of other marine animals such as other

shark species or seals) is worthy of further comment.

Many countries have national codes of conduct in place to

make sure that contact with whales and dolphins causes

minimum disturbance to the animals. Tour companies

should abide by these rules, and where no local legislation

exists, ideally should voluntarily adopt similar practices

(such as only approaching in vessels to a certain distance,

not touching the animals when swimming, etc.).

DIVING AND SNORKELLING

Any dive operators should be fully qualified and licensed. In

addition, they should help their clients to:

• Observe marine wildlife (such as coral reefs) without impact,

making sure that they view wildlife from a safe distance and

do not rest or stand on corals and other fragile marine life;

• Avoid touching and damaging life on the seabed and

leave live shells, reef fish and animals as they are;

• Learn about the underwater environment so they can

better appreciate it; and

• Provide advice on safety issues to consider when diving

and ensure that safety considerations are strictly applied in

relation to conditions of equipment and diving requirements.

SPORT HUNTING

Sport hunting can be broadly defined as the hunting of an

animal (generally by a tourist, particularly a foreign one)

for its trophy value (i.e. an item prepared from the body of

the game animal). Consequently it is also known as trophy

hunting, or as big-game hunting, when referring to the pursuit

of large animals such as bears, big cats, elephants, etc.

The hotel should try to ensure that any local hunting

operators whose services it endorses can satisfactorily

answer the following questions:

• Is it legal to hunt the species concerned in the country?

In some cases, however, it may be legal to hunt a species

in a particular country, but due to concerns about the

conservation status of that species, a hotel may not

recommend such an activity, despite its legality.

• Is the company properly licensed, with professional,

fully-trained hunting staff?

• Does the operator abide by national hunting quotas and

other hunting regulations, etc.?

• Do they abide by species-specific minimum trophy size

regulations (these are usually national requirements –

good-sized trophies are an indicator of the population

status of hunted animals)?

• Is the company aware of all the necessary paperwork

required by hunters (foreign hunters will require CITES

documentation, for example, if exporting a trophy)? Do

they help to provide tourists with these documents as

part of their service?

• Is the hunting operator a member of (or affiliated with) a

recognised national professional hunting association?

• How does the company’s hunting operation benefit the

local community and the conservation of local wildlife?

SPORT FISHING

Sport fishing is a popular tourist activity in many coastal

areas (and also for various types of freshwater fish). Any

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Factsheet 13 continued

local/international quotas or regulations in regard to catches

should be obeyed, and overfishing of key species avoided.

Sources of further information

IAATO marine wildlife watching guidelines (although these

apply to Antarctic marine wildlife, they also provide a useful

overview of the issues and can be applied more widely):

http://www.iaato.org/wildlife.html

IUCN Red List of Threatened Species:

http://www.iucnredlist.org/

US Fish and Wildlife Service – permits, FAQs, etc.:

http://www.fws.gov/permits/;

http://www.fws.gov/permits/faqs/FaqA.shtml

Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society – whale watching

guidelines: http://www.wdcs.org/connect/whale_watch /

story_details.php?select=58

WWF’s guidelines for community-based ecotourism:

http://assets.panda.org/downloads/guidelinesen.pdf

Caribbean Whale Friends, Whale Watching: http://www.

caribbeanwhalefriends.org/whale_watching.htm

International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW):

http://www.ifaw.org/

NOM-131-SEMARNAT sobre Observación de Ballenas

en México: http://www.semarnat.gob.mx/leyesynormas/

Normas%20Oficiales%20Mexicanas%20vigentes/NOM-

ECOL-131.pdf

Resumen del Taller de Turismo Responsable de

Observación de Cetáceos: http://www.ifaw.org/

Publications/Program_Publications/Whales/asset_upload_

file9_50395.pdf

Whale Shark Project (Code of Conduct for Diving with

Whale Sharks): http://www.whalesharkproject.org/v.asp?lev

el2id=6336&rootid=6336&depth=1&toptab=3

Whale Shark Tourism Interaction Guidelines:

http://www.seabelize.org/pdf_files/whaleshark_guidelines.pdf

Tiburón ballena (pg. 374: Códigos de conducta

recomendados para las actividades de observación y nado

con tiburón ballena. Cárdenas-Torres 2003): http://www2.

ine.gob.mx/publicaciones/libros/546/cap13.pdf

NMX-AA-142-SCFI-2008 (Lineamientos para el Desarrollo

de Actividades con Tiburón Ballena en México):

http://www.semarnat.gob.mx/leyesynormas/normas/

Normas%20Mexicanas%20Vigentes/NMX%20

AA%20142%20SCFI%202008%20Lineamientos%20

%20aprovechamiento%20sustentable%20%20

tibur%C3%B3n%20ballena.pdf

While the information presented in this factsheet was

believed to be correct at the time of going to press in

2012, it may have changed since then. Hoteliers are

advised to check local and international regulations and

recommendations on the products discussed here.

130

Communication is a vital part of any biodiversity strategy,

both to explain to staff and suppliers what the strategy is and

why it’s important, and to help guests and other stakeholders

understand the hotel’s actions and what they can do to help.

Such communication can be integrated into your hotel’s overall

communications and marketing practices. This appendix

reviews the key components of an effective biodiversity

communications strategy, targeting your hotel’s internal and

external stakeholders.

Any communications strategy should be guided by two key

principles, which will help you determine the scope and

content of your communications:

• Results first, communicate later: In general, it is better to

communicate very little, or in a very low-key way, when first

starting to integrate biodiversity practices into management

strategies, in order to have some results to share before

communicating extensively with any stakeholders.

• Internal communication before external communication:

It is important to use internal communication strategies to

make sure that your staff is “on board” before explicitly

communicating about efforts to integrate biodiversity into

hotel management. Make sure that your staff:

- know the basic facts about biodiversity and the

contributions the hotel makes;

- show genuine interest and concern for biodiversity; and

- implement the practices and spirit of the biodiversity

strategy in performing their duties.

To motivate staff, it can help to have a box in staff areas for

“The Idea of the Week” or to have a yearly biodiversity award

for the best staff contribution.

Targeting specific groups for biodiversity communications

Although it is not the core business of hotels to influence

the knowledge, attitudes and behaviour of their clients

towards biodiversity, the way a hotel conducts its business

communicates a lot about its motivations and principles. To

add extra value to each person’s experience, you may wish

to develop a client communication strategy, tailoring the

objectives and messages to a variety of target groups (see

Table A1 below).

Appendix 1: Communicating with a hotel’s internal and external stakeholders

Buyers (non-guests)

• Touroperators

• Travelagencies

• Conferenceandeventcompanies

• Businesses

Buyers (guests)

• Individualleisuretourists

• Transientbusinesstravellers

Direct choice Indirect choice

Direct experience

Indirect experience

Guests (non–buyers)

• Packagetourists

• Conferenceparticipants

• Businesstravellers

Table A1: Segmentation of clients for biodiversity communication

131

Communicating with non-guest buyers

Once you have substantially integrated biodiversity into your

management strategies and consider your contribution to

conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity as part of your

value proposition, you may wish to communicate this to your

non-guest buyers, including tour operators, travel agencies,

conference and event companies, and other businesses. The

objectives of this communication would include:

• Increasing the knowledge of this target group about

conservation and sustainable use of local and global

biodiversity, for example by providing information about

the added value of being close to a national park or using

certified products;

• Contributing to a more positive attitude among non-guest

buyers about conservation and the sustainable use of

biodiversity, for example by providing photos of the hotel

and its surroundings showing the hotel garden, exhibitions

of local products, children’s activities and other biodiversity-

related topics; and

• Influencing the destination choices of non-guest buyers

by linking your efforts in the field of biodiversity to special

groups, such as student excursion groups, governmental,

academic or NGO conferences, guests of the Ministry of

Environment, and others. Testimonials from previous guests

can be used for this purpose.

Communicating with hotel guests

In addition to communicating about your biodiversity

strategy to non-guest buyers, you should also develop a

communication strategy for guests. The objectives of this

strategy would include:

• Increasing the knowledge of guests about conservation and

sustainable use of local and global biodiversity, for example

through the choice of magazines you offer in the lobby, the

choice of certified food products on your menu, the choice

of films and games in your video programme and the kind of

activities offered for children;

• Contributing to a positive attitude towards conservation

and sustainable use of biodiversity among guests, for

example by the choice of decorative plants, live animals and

decoration in public areas, and plants, photos or paintings

in guest rooms. An exhibition of local natural products, extra

attention to the garden, and participation in local festivals

that feature aspects of biodiversity may also positively

influence the attitude of guests; and

• Influencing the behaviour of clients, for example by posting

visible evidence and testimony that your shops and spas do

not offer for sale souvenirs, clothing or other products that

are derived from endangered species or species forbidden

for trade by CITES, or by showing that your tour desk only

offers responsible recreational activities and subcontracts

with companies that can guide diving, fishing, surfing or

wildlife watching activities in a responsible way.

There are three main strategies that hotels can use for

communicating about biodiversity actions. You may choose to

use a single one of these strategies, or combine elements of

all three. In all cases, it is important to realize that biodiversity

awareness raising and learning is only credible and effective

when a hotel also makes a genuine effort to practice what it

preaches. Serious contradictions between business practices

and the message embodied in external communications may

cause problems. Guest communication strategies include:

• Invest in awareness raising and informal learning:

Using this strategy, you would communicate about your

biodiversity actions as a separate topic, rather than as

a part of other technical management interventions. For

example, decorating the lobby with unique indigenous

plants or an aquarium with species representative of inland

or coastal waters may informally educate clients about local

biodiversity, especially if the plant pots and the aquarium

have small explanatory signs. The choice of magazines on

the reading table in the lobby may include a variety of nature

magazines (prioritise magazines and newspapers that are

produced sustainably), while the reception area may offer

clients a tray with local apples or other fruits, accompanied

132

by a small sign reading: ‘Nature welcomes you to our hotel.

Please help yourself, and thank you for your wise use of

nature.’ The paintings and photos on the walls in public

areas and guest rooms may all be selected around the

theme of biodiversity to raise awareness about the richness

of local biodiversity. The advertisements in the elevator may

include an invitation to visit a national park, local zoo or

botanical garden. The in-room video programme might offer

nature films. The usual sign about re-using towels in the

bathroom may refer to the impact on local biodiversity, e.g.

‘Thank you for contributing to the preservation of the pristine

beauty of our lagoon.’ An exhibition of locally produced

‘natural’ products, may provide clients with exposure to the

wide variety of resources offered by nature in the vicinity of

the hotel. If you have many children among your clients, you

might offer special activities, developed and organised in

partnership with local organisations, for children to discover

biodiversity in and around the hotel, or offer a supply of

biodiversity computer games and videos for kids.

• Do good and let your guests know it: Under this strategy,

communication supports the various actions to integrate

biodiversity in the hotel management cycle, and caring

for biodiversity is highlighted as part of the unique selling

points of the hotel. This may involve revisiting your

position statement for corporate communications, or,

where biodiversity is part of your hotel’s core brand value,

association with a specific species or resource that is then

used in your corporate communications. Some hotels might

introduce a special category of ‘biodiversity rooms’ – with

tailored greenery, decoration, magazines, videos and snacks

in the refrigerator – from which a percentage of the price

goes to a local or international conservation organisation.

Other ways to communicate about biodiversity actions

might include a sign in the hotel shop informing clients that

all souvenirs in the shop are ‘CITES-proof’ and will not lead

to problems with customs officers on departure or arrival, or

short explanations on the menu in the restaurant noting that

only products with an eco-label are used in food production.

• Do good and let others tell your guests: This

communications strategy focuses on the use of

intermediaries. A hotel that integrates biodiversity into

its management may choose to itself communicate in a

very low-key or minimal way, while instead focusing on

offering opportunities for others to communicate about

its actions. Customers may be pleased to see in local

newspapers or on local TV that your hotel is contributing

to biodiversity conservation or engaging with local

organisations or the agriculture or fishing communities.

Good relations with the mass media are a precondition

for such an approach. In general, creating good word of

mouth messages is an effective means to have others tell

guests about your biodiversity efforts. When a guest visits

another establishment in town and hears, ‘Oh you are in

staying in a hotel that really cares for our biodiversity here,’

that message has a lot of positive impact. To create such

positive messages, it is important to regularly engage

in informal and formal communication with key opinion

leaders in the local community. Hotels may also give a

communication role to local or international conservation

organisations by entering into special partnerships. For

example, photos of local bird species in guest rooms

may be from a competition among local photographers

organised by the local society for the protection of birds

and sponsored by the hotel. A local festival may feature

in its street parade special aspects of local biodiversity

sponsored by the hotel. You may also wish to be associated

with a local nature film festival or a music festival with

compositions inspired by nature.

Developing effective biodiversity messages and means of

communication

Formulating effective messages requires proper knowledge of

the issue, as well as a clear understanding of the knowledge,

attitudes or behaviour of your target group. It is important to

make your message interesting and compelling to the target

audience. Although conservation is important, it isn’t always

interesting for non-experts. Developing communication

messages is both an analytical and a creative process, and

thinking creatively is possible only when there is a clear

picture of the current situation and the changes to be

accomplished. A brainstorming session can be a good way

Appendix 1 continued

133

to explore creative message ideas and pre-test any proposed

communication strategies.

In general, hotel managers should be able to phrase key

messages about the importance of biodiversity to their staff,

to suppliers, clients and others. These messages should be in

simple language and should answer questions such as ‘What is

biodiversity?’ and ‘Why bother to protect it?’

While the most effective way to communicate about a

biodiversity strategy is for management and staff to ‘practice

what they preach’ in terms of the way the hotel is run and

operated on a day-to-day basis, there are many other ways

to communicate this message, including signs on trees in the

garden, pots with decorative plants, or an extra line in the

menu or on the list of products in the spa. The internet is a

valuable source for special means of communication to get

across a biodiversity message. Possible resources include:

•  Interpretation sign boards for garden and grounds:

http://www.snh.org.uk/wwo/interpretation/index.html

• Biodiversity computer games for kids: http://

countdown2010.net/games/

• Videos about biodiversity: http://www.arkive.org/

• Videos about sustainable development:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B5NiTN0chj0&NR=1

Monitoring and evaluating your communications strategies

It is important to monitor and evaluate your biodiversity

communications strategy through regular customer satisfaction

surveys and other means of tracking customer value, such as

electronic monitoring of video or menu choices, or the number

of requests for special excursions, children’s activities or other

biodiversity-related offerings. Monitoring and evaluation will

be most effective if a baseline study of knowledge, attitudes

and practices among the target audiences is conducted before

the communications strategy begins, to provide a basis for

comparison. In addition, appropriate success indicators

should be identified when the communication objectives are

first formulated, to increase the accuracy and effectiveness of

the evaluation.

Preparing a realistic and achievable

communications budget

As part of the development of a biodiversity strategy, you

should decide on the role and approach of communication

and estimate the costs of a communication strategy. It is

better to start small rather than fail because of a lack of funds;

quality, time and money are mutually dependent parts of

communication. When calculating the communication budget,

you should consider the following factors:

• Personnel: How many employees need to be involved and

how much time do they have to work on the project? Is it

necessary to hire external consultants, organisations and

experts, and, if so, how much will this cost?

• Material costs: What are the costs to design and produce

the various means of communication?

• Distribution costs: What are the costs to distribute these

means of communication?

• Media costs: What are the costs to publish in newspapers

and advertise on radio and TV?

• Organisational costs: What are the costs of office supplies,

mailings, telephone calls, copying, etc.?

• ‘Safety budget’: How much should be set aside for

unexpected costs?

134

Hotels can take many actions themselves to help preserve

biodiversity, but there are cases where effective actions

may be limited by factors that are outside the control of any

individual hotel. For example, a destination’s policies on the

protection of the environment and biodiversity, including

protected areas, and its approach to the planning and

operation of infrastructure (e.g. new development areas,

waste handling and management, water use, storm water

management, etc.) all have impacts on biodiversity and are of

concern to hotels.

This appendix describes the ways that public authorities,

community groups and non-governmental organisations

(NGOs) can support biodiversity conservation and sustainable

use in destinations, and how hotels can work in partnership

with these stakeholders to promote biodiversity conservation.

How community organisations and NGOs can

support biodiversity conservation and sustainable

use in a destination

Local organisations work on a variety of issues, including

community development and biodiversity conservation,

and can be a valuable interface between hotels and local

communities. These organisations can contribute to

biodiversity conservation and sustainable use in a variety of

ways, including:

• Raising awareness about biodiversity in local communities;

• Promoting more sustainable production and

harvesting practices;

• Encouraging and managing biodiversity conservation

activities; and

• Developing sustainable local sources for supplies of some

products, such as vegetables and fruit, by working with local

farmers and community groups.

How public authorities can support conservation and

sustainable use in a destination

While local organisations may be considered the more obvious

choices for partnerships on biodiversity, public authorities

have significant influence over issues that affect biodiversity,

and can be valuable allies in any biodiversity conservation

efforts (see Appendix 3 for Caribbean CITES Management

Authorities’ contact information). Public authorities have a

major influence over most aspects of a destination, from the

types of development they encourage and where it is built, to

infrastructure, community links and biodiversity management.

By demonstrating your own successful internal biodiversity

actions, your hotel can help to influence public authorities to

make biodiversity conservation and sustainable use a higher

priority in their planning and management of a destination.

The following are some of the ways that public authorities can

contribute to conservation.

Protect biodiversity from the impacts of tourism development

and activities by:

• Undertaking positive planning to identify space and

locations for new developments that will contribute to

sustainable tourism, protect biodiversity and take into

account predicted changes in conditions, such as the

effects of climate change;

• Developing and enforcing regulations to ensure that

damage to biodiversity is minimised when new tourism

developments and infrastructure are constructed;

• Establishing systems for visitor management to control

visitor numbers and behaviour, for example to prevent

physical damage, wildlife disturbance or littering; and

• Designating and maintaining conservation areas.

Support biodiversity conservation and the maintenance

of high-quality habitats and ecosystems as tourism

resources by:

• Improving information and interpretation, including developing

events programmes and training local people as guides;

• Preparing an overall biodiversity plan for the destination that

integrates actions by hotels and other businesses, as well as

those of national and local conservation agencies and NGOs;

• Undertaking biodiversity conservation and restoration

projects at specific sites; and

• Raising revenues for conservation from tourism, including

through the use of admission charges and encouraging

voluntary donations.

Encourage and support hotels and other businesses in taking

biodiversity actions by:

Appendix 2: Working with partners in the destination

135

• Providing hotels and other businesses with support to help

them introduce biodiversity actions, including:

- Training courses and technical advice;

- Guidance manuals supplemented by relevant local

information;

- Incentives and financial support for biodiversity actions,

such as subsidies and technical support for conservation

activities; and

- Extending and sharing knowledge and good practice for

biodiversity conservation.

• Assisting hotels and other businesses to develop

partnerships with other organisations and community

groups to support local biodiversity conservation and to

undertake actions to protect biodiversity in the destination.

Promote the use by hotels of local products linked to

sustainable use of biodiversity by:

• Helping local communities benefit from biodiversity by

helping them to establish activities and enterprises based

on conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity,

for example small businesses that can supply hotels

with sustainably produced vegetables and fruit or offer

sustainable tourism activities; and

• Working with hotels to understand their needs for quantity

and quality of products that can be produced locally, and

using this information to increase the suitability of local

supplies for hotels.

Raising awareness of biodiversity among visitors, businesses

and local communities by:

• Setting up awareness-raising campaigns to encourage

protection of biodiversity in the destination;

• Providing local communities, schools and businesses

with information about biodiversity conservation and

sustainable use;

• Ensuring effective local information delivery and

interpretation;

• Highlighting biodiversity resources in the destination, for

example by producing maps and leaflets, and installing

signs to provide information and interpretation; and

• Encouraging responsible visitor behaviour and awareness of

the need to protect biodiversity in the destination, including

by provision of:

- Good-quality guiding, where possible

involving local people;

- Interpretative events;

- Visitor centres, where appropriate, containing creative

interpretative facilities; and

- Relevant information in leaflets, on signs, etc.

Setting up partnerships

By setting up partnerships with public authorities, community

groups and associations, hotels can become involved in

biodiversity actions that are of benefit to the entire destination.

To establish a new partnership, you should start by asking how

working together for biodiversity protection could help each

partner in achieving their objectives. Each partner should be

prepared to discuss ideas for projects that could be carried out

in a partnership, to explain why these projects are needed, how

much they would cost, and what their benefits would be.

The decision to set up a partnership usually implies a

commitment. This commitment means there may be formal

agreements developed and signed, there may be financial or

other obligations involved, and the new relationship can mean

changes in the way each organisation works. For example,

when a hotel takes the initiative to have special “biodiversity

rooms,” this is often done in partnership with a conservation

organisation. The hotel also can enter into a partnership

with a local association to delegate the development and

implementation of special “edu-tainment” activities for hotel

guests and their children, such as games, bird watching,

gardening etc.

Some of the key factors that make partnerships and support

activities effective include:

• Identifying key and reliable representatives of main

stakeholders that should be involved in developing a

partnership. This is particularly relevant when working with

indigenous peoples organisations;

• Defining clear roles and responsibilities, including on sharing

resources and accountability of actions;

136

• Ensuring that all organisations involved, including the hotel,

benefit from working together, giving an incentive for them

all to participate;

• Involving partners at an early stage, so that they can

contribute their ideas and help with planning of activities;

• Working though existing networks that your hotel may

already be associated with;

• Choosing projects that are realistic and achievable in relation

to the resources of the partners and organisations who are

working together, and are relevant to their own objectives;

• Selecting activities and projects where results are easily

visible to all who are involved, which are realistic and

achievable, and have strong leadership and wide community

support; and

• Acknowledging in all communications the contributions and

support from all partners.

There are many ways that you can begin to make links

with groups and organisations with which you can build

partnerships for conservation, including:

• Networking: Through networking, hotels and their potential

partners can exchange information and establish personal

connections. Networks increasingly are seen as playing an

important role in the way problems are solved, organisations

are run and the degree to which individuals achieve their

goals. There are various forms of networking, including

tracking, informing, consulting, supporting, collaborating

and partnering (in order of increasing mutual engagement).

• Tracking initiatives and organisations: Tracking allows

a hotel to know what biodiversity initiatives are occurring

at the local level, what biodiversity conservation or

awareness-raising activities are being undertaken by

national and international associations, universities, natural

history museums, etc., and who the key contacts are and

how to reach them. One of the advantages of tracking

what is happening, building relations with the various

actors interested in a cause, and engaging stakeholders

in a proactive way, is that it can allow you to coordinate

activities, reduce duplication and support many people who

can be engaged in working constructively with your hotel.

These people may include representatives of protected

areas, zoos, botanical gardens, local communities,

schools, government agencies, universities, conservation

associations and other stakeholders. There are a number of

different ways to track biodiversity activities, including:

- Web searches;

- Subscribing to and scanning newspapers, magazines and

newsletters (i.e. hard copy and/or electronic versions);

- Collecting project documents and reports, brochures and

educational materials;

- Visiting institutions, associations and local initiatives to

get to know their work;

- Attending conferences and biodiversity-related events;

- Conducting informal meetings with colleagues and peers

(lunch-time discussions, recreational hours, etc.);

- Holding regular meetings with associations; and

- Checking calendars of events.

• Communicating about your hotel’s biodiversity initiatives:

Once your hotel is genuinely integrating biodiversity into

management strategies, it is important to inform local

stakeholders about these efforts. This can be done through

emails, letters, phone calls, short reports or articles,

newsletters, informational meetings and presentations.

• Consulting on specific issues: A hotel does not necessarily

have all the knowledge to integrate biodiversity into its

management systems. In many cases, local conservation

organisations or communities can advise you on topics such

as which fish species to choose for a biodiversity-friendly

menu, which plant species to use in order to integrate

local biodiversity into your garden and public areas, or the

selection of magazines in the lobby.

• Collaborating on conservation initiatives: Your hotel

also can collaborate with other partners on conservation

activities or events, for example to celebrate Earth Day,

International Biodiversity Day, World Wetland Day or

World Tourism Day, or in cleaning up a beach, coral reef or

wetland. You might also choose to sponsor an exhibition

in the local natural history or science museum, or an

Environmental Film Festival. During these events, your

hotel can have its own biodiversity programme or host a

programme jointly with other organisations.

Appendix 2 continued

137

Appendix 3: Caribbean CITES Management Authorities

Antigua and Barbuda

Accession: 08/07/1997

Entry into force: 06/10/1997

(Last update: 11/05/2010)

Management Authority

1 . Ambassador Ms Diann Black-Layne

Chief Environment Officer

Environment Division

Ministry of Agriculture, Lands, Housing and the Environment

Tel: +1 (268) 462 46 25; 462 62 65; 562 25 68

Fax: +1 (268) 462 46 25

Email: mail @ environmentdivision.info; dcblack11 @ yahoo.

com

Web: http://www.environmentdivision.info

Aruba

Dependent territory of: Netherlands Territorio dependiente

de: Países Bajos

Ratification: 19/04/1984

(entry into force: 29/03/1995)

(Last update: 28/06/2011)

Management Authorities

Bonaire, Saint Eustatius and Saba (Dutch Caribbean)

Ministry of Economic Affairs, Agriculture § Innovation

Department of Nature

Attn: Mr Marcel van Nijnatten

National Coordinator CITES

Tel: +31 (70) 378 40 93

Fax: +31 (70) 378 61 46

Email: m.j.h.van.nijnatten @ minlnv.nl

Fauna

Aruba Management Authority

Veterinary Services

Barcadera 1

ORANJESTAD

Tel: +297 (58) 5 04 00; +297 (58) 5 04 00

Fax: +297 (58) 5 18 28

Flora

Directeur van de Directie Landbouw, Veeteelt en Visserij

(Director of the Directorate of Agriculture, Cattle-breeding

and Fishery)

Piedra Plat 114-A

SANTA CRUZ

Tel: +297 (58) 5 81 02; +297 (58) 5 81 02; 5 64 73

Fax: +297 (58) 5 56 39

138

Bahamas

Accession: 20/06/1979

Entry into force: 18/09/1979

(Last update: 31/07/2007)

Management Authority

1 Department of Agriculture

Ministry of Agriculture and Marine Resources

Tel: +1 (242) 325 74 13

Fax: +1 (242) 325 39 60

Barbados

Accession: 09/12/1992

Entry into force: 09/03/1993

(Last update: 31/05/2007)

Management Authority

1 . Mr Steve A. Devonish

Director

Natural Heritage Department

Ministry of Energy and the Environment

Tel: +1 (246) 438 77 61

Fax: +1 (246) 438 77 67

Email: heritage @ barbados.gov.bb

Belize

Succession: 19/08/1986

Entry into force: 21/09/1981

(previously Party to CITES as part of the United Kingdom of

Great Britain and Northern Ireland since 31/10/1976 )

(Last update: 05/01/2011)

Management Authority

1 . Mr Eugenio Wilber Sabido

Chief Forest Officer

Forest Department

Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment

Tel: +501 822 15 24; 822 20 79

Fax: +501 822 15 23

Email: cfo @ mnrei.gov.bz; fdsecretary @ mnrei.gov.bz

Colombia

Ratification: 31/08/1981

Entry into force: 29/11/1981

(Last update: 09/11/2010)

Management Authorities

1a . Dra. Patti Londoño Jaramillo

Viceministra de Asuntos Multilaterales

Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores

Tel: +57 (1) 381 40 50 / 52

Fax: +57 (1) 381 47 47 (ext. 2500)

Appendix 3 continued

139

Costa Rica

Ratification: 30/06/1975

Entry into force: 28/09/1975

(Last update: 07/02/2011)

Management Authority

1 .José Joaquín Calvo Domingo

Coordinator Nacional de Vida Silvestre

Sistema Nacional de Áreas de Conservación

Ministerio del Ambiente y Energía

Tel: +506 22 56 09 17 (ext. 167; 153); +506 25 22 65 49

Fax: +506 22 56 24 36

Email: citescostarica @ sinac.go.cr; joaquin.calvo @ sinac.

go.cr

Curaçao

Dependent territory of: Netherlands

(entry into force: 06/07/1999)

Curacao government

Ministry Health, Environment and Nature

Klein Kwartier 33

CURACAO

Tel: +599 973 814 66

Fax: +599 973 734 66

Email: infogmn @ curacao-gov.an

Cuba

Accession: 20/04/1990

Entry into force: 19/07/1990

(Last update: 06/01/2011)

Management Authority

1a) Ministerio de Ciencia, Tecnologia y Medio Ambiente

Centro de Inspección y Control Ambiental (CICA)

Atn: Ing. Jorge Alvarez Alvarez

Director

Tel: +53 (7) 202 75 73; 203 19 36-38 (ext. 243 & 248)

Fax: +53 (7) 202 70 30

Email: jorgeal @ orasen.co.cu

1b) Ministerio de Ciencia, Tecnologia y Medio Ambiente

Centro de Inspección y Control Ambiental (CICA)

Atn: Msc. José Alberto Alvarez Lemus

Especialista principal

Tel: +53 (7) 202 75 73; 203 19 36-38 (ext. 243 & 248)

Fax: +53 (7) 202 70 30

Email: joseal @ orasen.co.cu

Dominica

Accession: 04/08/1995

Entry into force: 02/11/1995

(Last update : 18/05/2010)

Management Authority

1 .Mr Lloyd Gabriel Pascal

Director of the Environmental Coordinating Unit

Ministry of Environment, Natural Resources, Planning and

Fisheries

Tel: +1 (767) 448 24 01 (ext. 5256); +1 (767) 266 52 56

Fax: +1 (767) 448 45 77

Email: agriext @ cwdom.dm

140

Grenada

Accession: 30/08/1999

Entry into force: 28/11/1999

(Last update: 10/06/2010)

Management Authority

1 . Mr Aden Forteau

Chief Forestry Officer

Forestry and National Parks Department

Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and fisheries

Tel: +1 473 440 27 08; +1 473 440 29 34

Email: michael_forteau @ yahoo.co.uk

Guadeloupe

Dependent territory of: France

Approval / Aprobación: 11/05/1978

Entry into force: 09/08/1978

(Last update : 14/01/2011)

Management Authority

1 . Ministère de l’écologie, du développement durable, des

transports et du logement

Sous-direction de la protection et de la valorisation des

espèces et de leurs milieux

Bureau des échanges internationaux d’espèces menacées

Tel: +33 (1) 40 81 31 68

Fax: +33 (1) 40 81 75 41

Email: cites @ developpement-durable.gouv.fr

Web: http://www.ecologie.gouv.fr

Direction régionale de l’environnement de Guadeloupe

Cité Guillard

Chemin des Bougainvilliers

F-97102 BASSE-TERRE CEDEX

Tel: +33 (5) 90 99 35 60

Fax: +33 (5) 90 99 35 65

Guatemala

Ratification: 07/11/1979

Entry into force: 05/02/1980

(Last update: 06/01/2011)

Management Authority

1 . Lic. Jorge Luis Galindo Arévalo

Secretario Ejecutivo

Consejo Nacional de Áreas Protegidas (CONAP)

Tel: +502 24 22 67 00

Fax: +502 22 38 31 18

Email: jlu @ conap.gob.gt

Haití

Non-Party

(Last update: 16/02/2009)

Authority competent to issue comparable documentation

Fishery and Aquaculture

1a) Ministère de l’Agriculture, des Ressources Naturelles et

du Développement Rural

Direction des Pêches et Aquaculture

Attn: Pierre Guy Lafontant, Ing-Agr.

Tel: +509 34 05 33 72

Email: pglafontant@yahoo.com

1b) Ministère de l’Agriculture, des Ressources Naturelles et

du Développement Rural

Direction des Pêches et Aquaculture

Attn: Jean Robert Badio, Ing-Agr.

Tel: +509 35 58 05 60

Email: robertbadio@yahoo.com

1c) Ministère de l’Agriculture, des Ressources Naturelles et

du Développement Rural

Direction des Pêches et Aquaculture

Attn: Laurent Mersier, Ing-Agr.

Tel: +509 36 62 54 86

Email: lmersier@yahoo.fr

Appendix 3 continued

141

Honduras

Accession: 15/03/1985

Entry into force: 13/06/1985

(Last update : 12/01/2011)

Management Authority

1 . Ministro Jacobo Regalado Weizemblut

Secretaría de Agricultura y Ganadería

Despacho Ministerial

Tel: +504 (2) 22 39 83 94; 22 31 19 21; Cel: +504 (9) 991 43

70

Fax: +504 (2) 31 15 47; 32 53 75

Email: jregalado @ sag.gob.hn; jregalado @ globalnet.hn

(Ministro); jsuazo25 @ yahoo.es (Ing. Jose Julian Suazo /

Oficina Nacional CITES : (504)(2) 22 35 84 48 )

Caymen Islands

Dependent territory of: United Kingdom of Great Britain and

Northern Ireland

Management Authorities

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra)

Bio-diversity Programme

Tel: +44 (117) 372 36 00

Fax: +44 (117) 372 82 06

Email: cites.ukma @ defra.gsi.gov.uk

Web: http://www.defra.gov.uk/wildlife-pets/wildlife/trade-

crime/cites/index.htm

Cayman Islands / Islas Caimán

Ministry of Agriculture, Communications, Environment and

Natural Resources

Government Administration Building

Tel: +1 (345) 914 24 12; 949 79 00 (ext. 2412)

Telex: 4260 cigovt cp

Fax: +1 (345) 949 29 22

Email: aecw @ candw.ky

Turks and Caicos Islands

Non-Party

(Last update: 31/05/2004)

Authority competent to issue comparable documentation

1 . Department of Environment and Coastal Resources

(DECR)

Chief Minister’s Office

Ministry of Natural Resources

Turks and Caicos Islands Government

Tel: +1 (649) 946 28 55; 946 29 70

Fax: +1 (649) 946 18 95

Email: decr @ tciway.tc

Virgin Islands

Dependent territory of: United States of America

Ratification: 14/01/1974

Entry into force: 01/07/1975

(Last update: 11/05/2010)

Management Authority

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Division of Management Authority

Tel: Office of the Chief: +1 (703) 358 20 93;

Branch of CITES Operations: +1 (703) 358 20 95;

Branch of Permits: 1 (800) 358 21 04 toll-free within the

United States;

otherwise +1 (703) 358 21 04

Fax: Office of Chief, DMA: +1 (703) 358 22 80;

Branch of CITES Operations: +1 (703) 358 22 98;

Branch of Permits: +1 (703) 358 22 81

Email: managementauthority @ fws.gov (general/général)

Web: http://international.fws.gov

142

Jamaica

Accession: 23/04/1997

Entry into force: 22/07/1997

(Last update: 20/05/2010)

Management Authority

1 . Natural Resources Conservation Authority

c/o National Environment and Planning Agency

Tel: +1 (876) 754 75 40

Fax: +1 (876) 754 75 94

Email: ceo @ nepa.gov.jm; ystrong @ nepa.gov.jm

Web: http://www.nepa.gov.jm

Martinique

Dependent territory of: France

Approval: 11/05/1978

Entry into force: 09/08/1978

(Last update : 14/01/2011)

Management Authority

1 . Ministère de l’écologie, du développement durable, des

transports et du logement

Sous-direction de la protection et de la valorisation des

espèces et de leurs milieux

Bureau des échanges internationaux d’espèces menacées

Tel: +33 (1) 40 81 31 68

Fax: +33 (1) 40 81 75 41

Email: cites @ developpement-durable.gouv.fr

Web: http://www.ecologie.gouv.fr

Direction régionale de l’environnement de Martinique

Immeuble Massal

4, boulevard de Verdun

F-97200 FORT-DE-FRANCE

Tel: +33 (5) 96 71 25 08

Fax: +33 (5) 96 71 25 00

México

Accession: 02/07/1991

Entry into force: 30/09/1991

(Last update: 16/07/2010)

Management Authority

1 .M.V.Z. Martín Vargas Prieto

Director General de Vida Silvestre

Secretaría de Medio Ambiente y Recursos Naturales

(SEMARNAT)

Tel: +52 (55) 56 24 33 06/09

Fax: +52 (55) 56 24 36 42

Email: martin.vargas @ semarnat.gob.mx

Web: http://www.semarnat.gob.mx/vs/

Nicaragua

Accession: 06/08/1977

Entry into force: 04/11/1977

(Last update: 31/10/2007)

Management Authority

1 . René Salvador Castellón

Ministerio del Ambiente y Recursos Naturales (MARENA)

Tel: +505 (2) 33 11 13

Fax: +505 (2) 33 11 13

Email: citesni @ marena.gob.ni

Appendix 3 continued

143

Panama

Ratification: 17/08/1978

Entry into force : 15/11/1978

(Last update: 25/05/2011)

Management Authority

1a) Ing. Edgar Chacón

Director de Áreas Protegidas y Vida Silvestre

Autoridad Nacional del Ambiente (ANAM)

Tel: Fax: + 507 500 08 39; + 507 500 08 55 (ext.6877)

Email: e.chacon @ anam.gob.pa

Web: http://www.anam.gob.pa

1b) Sra Ibelice Añino

Jefa del Departamento de Biodiversidad y Vida Silvestre

Autoridad Nacional del Ambiente (ANAM)

Tel: Fax: + 507 500 08 39; + 507 500 08 55 (ext.6877)

Email: i.anino @ anam.gob.pa

Web: http://www.anam.gob.pa

Puerto Rico

Dependent territory of: United States of America

Ratification: 14/01/1974

Entry into force: 01/07/1975

(Last update: 11/05/2010)

Management Authority

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Division of Management Authority

Tel: Office of the Chief: +1 (703) 358 20 93;

Branch of CITES Operations: +1 (703) 358 20 95;

Branch of Permits: 1 (800) 358 21 04 toll-free within the

United States;

otherwise +1 (703) 358 21 04

Fax: Office of Chief, DMA: +1 (703) 358 22 80;

Branch of CITES Operations: +1 (703) 358 22 98;

Branch of Permits: +1 (703) 358 22 81

Email: managementauthority @ fws.gov (general/général)

Web: http://international.fws.gov

Dominican Republic

Accession: 17/12/1986

Entry into force: 17/03/1987

(Last update: 24/11/2010)

Management Authority

1a) Ing. Bernabé Mañón Rossi

Viceministro Encargado de Áreas Protegidas y Biodiversidad

Ministerio de Medio Ambiente y Recursos Naturales

Tel: +1 (809) 472 42 04

Fax: +1 (809) 472 40 12

Email: areas.protegidas @ ambiente.gob.do; eleuterio.

martinez @ ambiente.gob.do; eleuterioporlavida @ gmail.com

Web: http://www.medioambiente.gob.do

1b) Ing. José Manuel Mateo Féliz

Director de Biodiversidad y Vida Silvestre

Secretaría de Estado de Medio Ambiente y Recursos

Naturales

Tel: +1 (809) 472 42 04

Fax: +1 (809) 472 40 12

Email: direccion.biodiversidad @ medioambiente.gob.do;

jose.mateo @ ambiente.gob.do

Web: http://www.medioambiente.gob.do

1c) Lic. Ivelisse Figueroa

Encargada del Depto. de Regulaciones y Controles de la

Dirección de Biodiversidad y Vida Silvestre

Ministerio de Estado de Medio Ambiente y Recursos

Naturales

Tel: +1 (809) 472 42 04, ext 296

Fax: +1 (809) 472 40 12

Email: regulaciones.controles @ medioambiente.gob.do;

ivelisse.figueroa @ ambiente.gob.do

Web: http://www.medioambiente.gob.do

144

Saint Barthelemy

Dependent territory of: Netherlands

Ratification: 19/04/1984

(entry into force: 29/03/1995)

(Last update: 28/06/2011)

Management Authorities

Bonaire, Saint Eustatius and Saba (Dutch Caribbean)

Ministry of Economic Affairs, Agriculture § Innovation

Department of Nature

Attn: Mr Marcel van Nijnatten

National Coordinator CITES

Tel: +31 (70) 378 40 93

Fax: +31 (70) 378 61 46

Email: m.j.h.van.nijnatten @ minlnv.nl

Saint Kitts and Nevis

Accession: 14/02/1994

Entry into force: 15/05/1994

(Last update: 24/06/2010)

Management Authority

1 . Mr. Ashton Stanley

Director of Agriculture

Ministry of Agriculture, Marine Resources and Constituency

Empowerment

Tel: +1 (869) 465 23 35; 465 25 21

Fax: +1 (869) 465 29 28

Email: doastk @ gmail.com; ashton.stanley @ gov.kn

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

Accession: 30/11/1988

Entry into forcer: 28/02/1989

(Last update: 30/11/2005)

Management Authority

1 . Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries

Tel: +1 (784) 456 14 10

Fax: +1 (784) 457 16 88

Email: office.agriculture @ mail.gov.vc

Saint Lucia

Accession: 15/12/1982

Entry into force: 15/03/1983

(Last update: 31/10/2005)

Management Authority

1a) Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries

Attn: Mr Martin Satney

Permanent Secretary

Tel: +1 (758) 468 41 03; 452 25 26

Fax: +1 (758) 453 63 14; 468 41 58

Email: ps @ slumaffe.org

Web: http://www.slumaffe.org

1b) Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries

Attn: Mr Dunley Auguste

Deputy Permanent Secretary

Tel: +1 (758) 468 41 21; 452 25 26

Fax: +1 (758) 453 63 14

Email: dps @ slumaffe.org

Web: http://www.slumaffe.org

Appendix 3 continued

145

Trinidad and Tobago

Accession : 19/01/1984

Entry into force : 18/04/1984

(Last update : 31/10/2007)

Management Authorities

1 . Management Authority

Ms Nadra Nathai-Gyan

Head of Wildlife Section

Trinidad / Trinité

Tel: +1 (868) 662 51 14

Fax: +1 (868) 645 42 88

Email: wildlife @ trinidad.net

For Tobago

2 . Mr Raye Sandy

Director

Department of Natural Resources and the Environment

Tobago / Tabago

Tel: +1 (868) 639 22 34; 660 20 79

Fax: +1 (868) 639 17 46

United States of America

Ratification: 14/01/1974

Entry into force: 01/07/1975

(Last update: 11/05/2010)

Management Authority

1 . U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Division of Management Authority

Tel: Office of the Chief: +1 (703) 358 20 93;

Branch of CITES Operations: +1 (703) 358 20 95;

Branch of Permits: 1 (800) 358 21 04 toll-free within the

United States;

otherwise +1 (703) 358 21 04

Fax: Office of Chief, DMA: +1 (703) 358 22 80;

Branch of CITES Operations: +1 (703) 358 22 98;

Branch of Permits: +1 (703) 358 22 81

Email: managementauthority @ fws.gov (general/général)

Web: http://international.fws.gov

Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of)

Ratification: 24/10/1977

Entry into force: 22/01/1978

(Last update: 30/11/2010)

Management Authorities

1 . Abog. Solymar Helena González Castillo

Oficina Administrativa de Permisiones

Ministerio del Poder Popular para el Ambiente (MINAMB)

Centro Simón Bolívar - El Silencio

Tel: +58 (212) 408 47 47; 49 93; 47 61; 48 12

Fax: +58 (212) 408 18 41

Email: sgonzalez @ minamb.gob.ve

2 . Ing. Alejandro Hitcher Marvaldi

Ministerio del Poder Popular para el Ambiente (MINAMB)

Centro Simón Bolívar - El Silencio

Tel: +58 (212) 408 48 20; 48 21; 10 06

Fax: +58 (212) 408 10 09

Email: ahitcher @ minamb.gob.ve; despachoambiente @

gmail.com

Notes:

To ensure you have up-to-date contact information, please visit

the following link to CITES’s official website: http://www.cites.

org/cms/index.php/lang-en/component/cp/

Note that this page includes contact information for all CITES

Authorities, world-wide.

146

Appendix 4: Promoting sustainable purchases of wildlife productsAs an integral part of the tourism industry in the Caribbean,

which generates significant revenue and potential benefits

for local communities, hoteliers have a huge responsibility to

improve their practices so as to lessen their potential negative

impacts to the immediate social and natural environments.

They also have an enormous opportunity to promote and lead

sustainable and eco-friendly practices among their suppliers.

Being the final, or almost final, link within the supply chain

of many products such as food items, souvenirs, furniture,

building materials, toiletries etc., hoteliers have the power to

promote change in a positive way, integrating the purchasing

of products from sustainable sources and environmentally

conscious suppliers.

However, in order for hotel operators to be able to implement

such policies, hoteliers must first define what they consider to

be relevant sustainability criteria, and suppliers must also be

encouraged to enter such a scheme. To achieve this, it is highly

advisable to open communication channels to ask suppliers

about specific issues of possible concern/interest, such as: If

their company/operation implements energy saving/renewable

energy use, waste management, use of recycled materials or

any other environmentally conscious practices, and if so, what

these are. If the products being supplied to the hotel come

from a sustainable source, and if so, ask for information and/

or documentation that supports this affirmation. If the supplier

is aware of and/or affiliated to any certification scheme such

as the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) in the case of wood

products and timber, the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC)

in case of seafood products, or Fair Wild certification for wild-

collected natural ingredients for food and pharmaceuticals.

The goal of course, would be for hotels eventually to purchase

solely products from sustainable sources through the

integration of sustainability principles into the selection criteria

and service agreements of suppliers.

Once the hotel management has its sustainability criteria

defined, it is recommended to evaluate existing and potential

suppliers, continue communication, follow up on evaluations,

and share relevant information to encourage the appropriation

of these practices (e.g. on existing certification schemes and/

or sustainable practices). A useful tool can be the criteria

defined by the Global Sustainable Tourism Council initiative,

which resulted from an extensive effort to support sustainable

tourism practices around the world, and which include criteria

such as: The company offers the means for local small

entrepreneurs to develop and sell sustainable products that

are based on the area’s nature, history, and culture (including

food and drink, crafts, performance arts, agricultural products,

etc.). Purchasing policy favours environmentally friendly

products for building materials, capital goods, food, and

consumables. The purchase of disposable and consumable

goods is measured, and the business actively seeks ways to

reduce their use. Wildlife species are only harvested from the

wild, consumed, displayed, sold, or internationally traded, as

part of a regulated activity that ensures that their utilization

is sustainable. No captive wildlife is held, except for properly

regulated activities, and living specimens of protected wildlife

species are only kept by those authorized and suitably

equipped to house and care for them humanely. The business

uses native species for landscaping and restoration, and

takes measures to avoid the introduction of invasive alien

species. The business contributes to the support of biodiversity

conservation, including supporting natural protected areas and

areas of high biodiversity value. Interactions with wildlife must

not produce adverse effects on the viability of populations

in the wild; and any disturbance of natural ecosystems

is minimized, rehabilitated, and there is a compensatory

contribution to conservation management. Some might already

be implementing such measures, but this is bound to be a

process, and thus necessary to create business incentives that

will encourage providers in the Caribbean to adhere to these

good practices.

Useful sources of information

Tour Operators initiative (ToI) http://www.toinitiative.org

Mesoamerican Reef Tourism Initiative (MARTI)

http://www.mesoamericanreef.org

Global Sustainable Tourism Council www.gstcouncil.org

Fair Wild Foundation http://www.fairwild.org

Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) http://www.fairwild.org

Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) http://www.fsc.org

Supply Chain Engagement for Tour Operators: Three steps

toward sustainability http://www.toinitiative.org/fileadmin/docs/

publications/SupplyChainEngagement.pdf

147

Compromiso de los turoperadores en la cadena de

abastecimiento: tres pasos hacia la sostenibilidad

http://www.toinitiative.org/fileadmin/docs/publications/

SupplyChainEngagementES.pdf

A practical guide to good practice: managing environmental

and social issues in the accommodation sector

http://www.toinitiative.org/fileadmin/docs/publications/

HotelGuideEnglish.pdf

Guía de buenas prácticas: gestión de las cuestiones

ambientales y sociales en el sector del alojamiento

http://www.toinitiative.org/fileadmin/docs/publications/

HotelGuideSpanish.pdf

Guide de bonnes practiques: por une bonne gestions

environnementales et sociales dans le secteur de

l’herbegement touristique

http://www.toinitiative.org/fileadmin/docs/publications/

HotelGuideFrench.pdf

A Practical Guide to Good Practice: Managing Environmental

Impacts in the Marine Recreation Sector and Self Assessment

Check-list

http://www.toinitiative.org/fileadmin/docs/publications/

MarineRecreationGuide.pdf

Guía Práctica de Buenas Prácticas: Manejando Impactos

Ambientales en el Sector de la Recreación Marina y Lista de

Control Para Autoevaluación

http://www.toinitiative.org/fileadmin/docs/publications/

MarineRecreationGuideESP.pdf

Guide de Bonnes Pratiques: Gérer les impacts du secteur des

loisirs nautiques sur l’environnement

http://www.toinitiative.org/fileadmin/docs/publications/marine_

guide_fr.pdf

Buenas Prácticas para el Turismo Sostenible, Rainforest

Alliance

http://www.rainforest-alliance.org/tourism/documents/tourism_

practices_guide_spanish.pdf

Guía de Buenas Prácticas para Turismo Sostenible en

Ecosistemas Marino-Costeros, Empresas de Alojamiento

http://www.rainforest-alliance.org/sites/default/files/site-

documents/tourism/documents/marino_costera_es.pdf

Guía de Buenas Prácticas para Turismo Sostenible en Bosques

Tropicales, Empresas de Alojamiento

http://econegociosforestales.com/enf/files/Guia_de_Buenas_

Practicas.pdf

Guía de Buenas Prácticas de Turismo Sostenible para

Comunidades de Latinoamérica

http://www.rainforest-alliance.org/sites/default/files/site-

documents/tourism/documents/gbp_latinoamerica.pdf

Las Páginas Verdes (consumo responsable)

http://www.laspaginasverdes.com/

148

Notes

IUCN

Rue Mauverney 28

1196 Gland

Switzerland

Tel: +41 22 999 0000

Fax: +41 22 999 0002

www.iucn.org

UICN - Mesoamérica e Iniciativa Caribe

50m sur del Automercado Los Yoses

San Pedro, San José

Costa Rica

P.O Box: 607-2050 Montes de Oca

Tel: +506 2283 8449

Fax: +506 2283 8472

www.iucn.org/mesoamerica

TRAFFIC North America

c/o World Wildlife Fund

1250 24th St. NW

Washington DC 20037

USA

Tel: +1 202 293 4800

Email: tnam@wwfus.org

www.traffic.org